The Heart Goes Last

There's something about Margaret Atwood.

I first discovered her writing via a used copy of Cat's Eye found in a secondhand bookstore when I was a teenager. I've been in love with her work ever since. It's not always an easy love - she has a tendency to push the boundaries of what my mind can comfortably grasp - but it is unwavering and, because of this, she's easily one of my favorite authors.

This is all a roundabout explanation as to why I was so excited to received an email from Doubleday letting me know I had been selected as an advance reader for Atwood's newest book, The Heart Goes Last.

The Heart Goes Last is the story of Stan and Charmaine, a couple left homeless and (mostly) jobless after a massive economic collapse. Charmaine is relentlessly optimistic while Stan is more of a realist. When Charmaine sees an ad for the Positron/Consilience Project, she knows that it's the answer to all of their problems. Once inside though... things get messy.

I liked this book but it's not one of Atwood's best. While I do think she has a gift for dystopian fiction that feels possible, this one left me a little cold. The story felt compressed, as if I was reading an abridged version. Atwood has such a talent for writing rich prose you can sink your teeth into but that was mostly missing in this novel. The story was good, the characters felt real, it all worked - I just wanted more!