Book 27 – The Robber Bride
Margaret Atwood is almost too good a writer. I want to consume each sentence, roll it around in my head, admire and savour it. I wonder if she meticulously crafts each sentence, choosing the words with care and precision or if the words just flow from her with such perfection? I wonder which is the greater gift?
This is such a beautifully written book about three women who’s lives are connected through their friendship with the destructive and (probably) sociopathic Zenia. Despite being warned in turn about Zenia’s evil nature, each woman thinks they will be the one who can turn her around, who won’t be fooled by her pathological lying and who will ultimately be her saviour.
I think we all, women in particular, have found ourselves ensnared in at least one toxic friendship. The struggle is knowing when (and how) to separate from the person, and how to manage the inevitable feelings of guilt and doubt that follow.
We all know who these people are. There are the people who to try to squirrel us away, separating us from our other friends and our family; people who drain our energy through dramatics and histrionics but give nothing back when we are in need of support; people who diss us behind our back; people who diss us to our face; and people who are just plain jerks. We don’t need these people in our lives and they take time away from our friends who truly love and support us, or worse, they stand in that way of finding those friends. We need to be strong, and learn to recognize and part ways with these people, because life is too short. And as Margaret Atwood seems to know, they can destroy us. But our friends? They will always lift us up.
Rating: Buy it. Eventually you will read this again.
