The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood

Why Atwood's most recent novel is an exciting read that just needed to pick a path and stick to it. One minor spoiler about a woman fucking a teddy bear (not that relevant, I promise).

Margaret Atwood is one of the most popular authors for A level coursework and dissertations that I know. Her works deal with every political ideology you could think of, from authoritarianism to ecologism. The Heart Goes Last appealed to me because of its enticing plot, that gestures towards something quite horrific and sadistic (can you see a theme in my preferences here). Like any other Atwood novel it is set post - social apocalypse / revolution, America is in turmoil and Stan and Charmaine are living out of their car. They hear of the Positron - Consilience programme which allows inhabitants to spend one month living happily in a home, and the next as a working inmate in prison. Now I'm not a spoiler but I'm going to tell you now, the prison is not the horrible part. The novel glosses over them being in prison as actually more pleasant than their home life. The subject of the novel is not the prison/home setup, but the alternates which they share their home with.

Now, I was pleased to see that this novel surprised me in that it wasn't the expected that ended up being the novel's epicentre. Instead it turns you towards what Atwood believes to be the real hell, other people. I really enjoyed Stan and Charmaine, who aren't some idealistic heroes, but instead regular pawns in this twisted game of capitalism and carnage. You love and hate them both for their gullible lovable natures, but also understand that you would probably be the same in that situation (other than some moments, you'll see what I mean when you read).

My main problem with the novel was that it didn't have the ideological directness that Atwood often drives her novels with. All of them indicate problems with several facets of 21st century society, however each has a focus. The Handmaid's Tale takes gender, Oryx and Crake takes the environment. The Heart Goes Last can't quite seem to decide its driving force, and so at some times feels confused. I lost interest towards the end when it seemed to be going round in a circle of who to trust, and frankly, I just didn't understand why there was a woman sexually attracted to a teddy bear. I really didn't see the point or understand how that was possible or relevant. But maybe that was the point? I don't know.

I am not criticising Atwood's style as it remains sound throughout the text. I always laugh out loud when I read her novels, especially Stan in this one in particular. He's a golden character with moronic wit that resonates with me a lot. Overall I just needed to be told exactly where the novel was going a bit more. Maybe that's my lacking ability to open my mind to Atwood's newer narratives, or maybe it's Atwood getting bored of the same spiel.