I am a classic’s girl, I always have been and I always will be. However this past week I have had such an almighty craving for modern literary fiction, I am going to put it down to all the wonderful booktube videos I have recently watched. As I perused my bookshelves I realized It was lacking in contemporary fiction; of course the shelves heaved with Dickens, Thackeray, the Bronte’s and Austen but nothing in which the heroines can wear trousers without scandalizing society. The only solution was a quick trip to the library and what a rewarding excursion it was. My arms were stiff and sore ,by the time I got home, with the amount of books I borrowed and the first thing I did was pop the kettle on a snuggle up with Margaret Atwood’s The Robber Bride.
This book is set in late early 90’s Toronto and also the 1940’s and 1960’s. Each decade witnesses major world events such as World War 2, the Vietnam war, and the beginning of the Gulf war and recession. There is an element of unrest and unease from the beginning of this novel and it is with these events playing out on the world stage that we meet our characters.
Tony,Roz and Charis come together to lunch, in 90’s Toronto, in a restaurant called ‘Toxique’. We are introduced to them in turn and find out that though they are very different, they have remained good friends for a particular reason. Each woman has been hurt, manipulated and betrayed by another woman,Zenia, now believed to be dead but who, we soon find out, is very much alive and kicking.
The three ladies leave the restaurant in total shock and the narrative then takes us to the defining moment in their lives when they first encountered Zenia. However, the narrative does not stop there it also takes the reader back further into the past and we witness the horrors and disappointments of their childhoods.
The Robber Bride focuses heavily on mother-daughter relationships and shows the marks and scars it has left on the three women.
Due to their negative pasts Tony, Charis and Roz have created another self and each woman has a split personality of sorts, which helps them deal with their lives and themselves as individuals.
After reading about each of their childhoods, the reader can understand why they have allowed themselves to be taken in by Zenia and her lies. Each woman wants to fill a space, or an emptiness within them and Zenia, with all her skills, knows exactly how to worm her way in and be the person that can fill that void.
The character of Zenia is a mystery, she tells three different tales of her childhood,and lies and manipulates with such ease. We never learn what her modus operandi is and that is one of the interesting parts of this novel.
The Robber Bride is a wonderful novel the about rich inner lives of woman and the conflict fought in everyday life and not just on the battlefield. I highly recommend it.
My Bookish Reveries 