Nelson Mandelamandla Book

Margaret Atwood speaks with candid authority in this collection, whether she is talking about love or war or the minutiae of the natural world. She is particularly eloquent about aging.

From “Miss July Grows Older”--
“what you get is no longer
what you see.”

And from “King Lear in Respite Care”--
“Time is another element
you never think about
until it’s gone.
Things like ceilings, or air.”

We know she has the ability to take on many personas, and she shows quite a range here, from Helen of Troy to Ava Gardner. But still, it surprised me when she took on MY persona. In the poem “Waiting,” from the first line--“Here it is then, the dark thing,” it was clear she had somehow got inside my head and wrote about my thoughts and memories.

Another remarkably rewarding read from the writer who over and over proves herself to be my favorite.