Highlights
Twice Booker-winner, Margaret Atwood, is back with a new collection of short stories. Titled 'Old Babes in the Wood', this is her first work of fiction since 'The Testaments' in 2019, for which she won her second Booker Prize.
'Old Babes in the Wood' is a collection of 15 short-stories-- some new, while others are previously published. The stories cover varied themes and genres- from sci-fi and dystopian, to humour and speculative fiction. The book is divided into three parts-- Section 1 is centered around Tig and Nell- a married couple; Section 2 is a mix of stories having various characters; and Section 3 brings us back to Nell, as she tries to navigates life as widow.
These gripping stories, with interesting characters and uncommon plots, reflect Atwood's creativity. The author's fans or those who enjoy reading short stories would like to add this book to their reading list.
How critics view the book:
FT said that the book highlights "themes that are always at the heart of Atwood's work: the haunting presence of traumatic histories, profound imbalances of power and opportunity in the world today, and society's darkest possible futures".
The Guardian said, "There are chips and fragments of lives, full of sass and sadness".
New York Times says, "Her new story collection, 'Old Babes in the Wood', offers elegiac scenes from a marriage plus a grab bag of curious fables."
Kirkus Reviews writes, "Honest and artful depictions of aging and loss—plus some other stuff".
