recoriginals

"Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise." Simply put, I worship this book. Cat’s Eye follows the controversial painter Elaine as she reflects upon her childhood and younger years when she returns to Toronto (the city of her youth) for a retrospective of her works. Her reflections stir up memories of friendship, longing, betrayal, love, hate, and pain. Especially haunting are her memories of Cordelia, a childhood friend with whom she had a complex relationship. It is a truly brilliant story, so completely well-written and beautiful that I just wanted to read certain sentences over and over again. Her story also rouses intense emotions in the reader, as we can all unearth memories of childhood friendships gone awry, awkward teenage years, and failed love. Elaine finds she needs to mourn her past in order to get through the present. Her past is so achingly realistic and personal, that you can’t help but empathize and contemplate your own personal grief. That’s not to say the book is fully depressing; instead, I would say that it is haunting. There are certain things to which I can relate at this exact moment in my life, which may have caused the book to have a bigger impact on me than it might for others. Regardless, I think this is another brilliant masterpiece by Atwood and would recommend it to both Atwood fans, and those new to her writing.

2023-02-21 04:18