Michael's Book Babble
I'm an indie author and a scribbler of inane babble. I talk about books I've read/liked. Or at least, that's the plan.
Most of the reviews will be considered "mini-reviews." Usually, it's mostly my reaction to what I've been reading. There are people who are far better at doing full and helpful reviews. But I still have fun doing them, and hope you enjoy them!
A solid and intriguing beginning
Margaret Atwood’s quickly becoming a new favorite author of mine. I admit I haven’t experienced a lot of her work yet, but that’s something I’m trying to correct immediately. After finishing her excellent collection, Stone Mattress: Nine Tales, I decided to try another one of her novels. The MaddAddam trilogy is where I decided to visit next, and my journey begins here with Oryx and Crake.
Atwood paints us another terrifying future where corporations, man-made plagues, climate change, and unholy genetic manipulation of animals and other creatures have brought about the end of humanity as we know it. Our tour guide of this bleak vision is Snowman (who used to be Jimmy). As he searches the land for food and supplies, he is haunted by the past, and his memories of Oryx and Crake gives us a clearer picture of how certain events took shape. We jump back and forth in time to learn more of Jimmy’s story and figure out how things went so, so wrong. (I know, not one of my better summaries—but I really am trying not to spoil too much. Also, I’m not very good at summarizing.)
What I love most about this novel is Atwood’s crisp and clear writing. The ideas and themes expressed here are by no means simplistic, yet she’s able to do it in a way where we can understand it all without having to run to the interwebs to find out what in Crake’s name is going on. The prose is confident, smooth, and captivating without ever seeming like she’s trying to show off. My only complaint is Oryx comes off as a bit flat at times. True, we learn all sorts of things about her past and whatnot, but I never get a real vibe off her. The only reason why we really care about her is because her past is so interesting, and that Snowman had feelings for her. Still, this is a minor issue and didn’t warrant me subtracting points from the story.
The audiobook version I have is read by Campbell Scott, and I have to admit it took me a while to warm up to him. He doesn’t get very dramatic with the reading, and sometimes it’s tough to figure out if he’s reading dialogue or prose. But overall, I enjoyed his reading. He may not be one I’ll go out of my way to seek out when it comes to audiobooks, but I certainly won’t avoid him.
Oryx and Crake is haunting, strange, unsettling, and frighteningly ingenious. It’s also a solid start to the MaddAddam trilogy. I look forward to continuing my journey with The Year of the Flood.
5 stars
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