#478 The Dead Hand Loves You- Margaret Atwood

#478 The Dead Hand Loves You- Margaret Atwood

Jack Dace is the revered author of an international horror classic, The Dead Hand Loves You. The story has haunted him his entire life, because of a contract he is bound to.

When he was writing the book he lived with three other housemates, including Irene, the girl he was infatuated with. But he was falling behind on paying rent and they were about to kick him out of the house. So, with desperation and absolutely no foresight, he signs a contract with his housemates. They will forgive his debt for equal shares in the profits of his novel.

“In such ways are devil’s bargains made”

As it turns out his novel was a huge success and his friends kept him to the contract—signed while hung-over at their kitchen table—for the rest of their lives. The issue put a wedge between him and Irene, who married one of the other roommates, and they didn’t speak to each other, except through lawyers for most of following years. Now old, hanging on to the grudge, and a torch for Irene, Jack strikes out to reconnect with the friends he has made wealthy; for reconciliation? Retribution? Reckoning?

I like the story, the concept, although I don’t really feel the love story here at all.

Rating: 8-9-7-8 Total= 32

#367 Revenant- Margaret Atwood

#367 Revenant- Margaret Atwood

Gavin is a poet, coming of age during the sixties. Now in his old age, he lives in Florida with his third wife, thirty-years his junior. He struggles with vitality, in all forms:

“How to describe the deliciousness of ice cream when you can lo longer taste it.”

He is drying up, as a poet, as a lover, as a man. What he has left is his legacy, which he has ceded somewhat unwittingly to his wife. She controls his papers, his house, his correspondence. She has scheduled an interview with a grad student to talk about his work. Only the interview ends up being about his first love, Constance, the world famous fantasy author (whom we saw in the first story of this collection).

He is angry, hurt, confused and betrayed by this onslaught of memory: “To show anger would be to reveal his soft underbelly, to pile more humiliation upon the primary humiliation.”

But instead of keeping his composure, he gets sucked into a place he wished to keep to himself: “It’s like being drawn into a time tunnel, the centrifugal force is irresistible.”

The world sees Gavin in a public way. They study him, discuss his ex-girlfriends, and now even read back to him private letters he wrote when he was younger. He wanted to keep some things for himself.

Rating: 8-8-8-8 Total= 32

#354 Alphinland- Margaret Atwood

#354 Alphinland- Margaret Atwood

Constance is a successful writer of a speculative fiction series called Alphinland. Despite its success, like with many works of fantasy, the literary intelligencia, including her husband and former boyfriend, look down on such writing, calling it sub-literary fiction.

“It’s astonishing how folks can get so worked up over something that doesn’t exist.”

Ewan, her husband has recently died and she, getting older and less able to live on her own, has yet to let him go. She hears his voice speak to her, guide her and comfort her as she lives her life.

“…his voice, when it turns up, is firm and cheerful. A striding voice, showing the way. An extended finger, pointing. Go here, buy this, do that! A slightly mocking voice, teasing, making light: that was often his manner towards her before he became ill.”

She has created “memory palaces” a kind of mnemonic device, keeping her memories locked up in both her house and the fictitious Alphinland. Once those two memory banks open up, and borders are crossed, Constance goes searching for her next adventure.

Rating: 8-7-7-8 Total= 30