The Edible Woman

3.5/5

Read it for a uni class on Atwood. To be honest, I liked parts of it, and I love Atwood's writing style, but this book wasn't for me. It was a vey taxing read, with parts that made me feel awful.

Where to start? I liked the parts with Duncan the most. Marian seemed the most herself with him, and she wasn't afraid to speak her mind or to ask for things she wants. He was also a very interesting character. I also enjoyed the ending, that is why I gave a half star more.

The parts where she was thinking about food and eating really disturbed me, as I am easily influenced and was afraid something would be so graphic that would make me not eat that thing ever again. So I think if someone has an actual eating disorder, this book would be very triggering.

Overall, it wasn't the worst, but I strongly prefer Atwood's short stories, and this was a book that I wouldn't have read on my own accord, if it wasn't for the class.

There's a deeper message here about destroying yourself to meet the unvoiced but supposed expectations of one's life, but I just didn't like it. It felt very dated. If you're happy with most of your life, but don't like your relationship, end it! Don't be a pansy, Marian.

And what's funny is that for the first half of this book I really identified with Marian as a pragmatist, an over-thinker, someone who is competent and fine with things how they are. Even with the anxiety as she's train-wrecking into the conclusion of this relationship! But then it wrapped up so quickly and maybe I'm not the best at metaphor, but I didn't get it.

I'm also struggling to articulate my irritation with Ainsley's character, because yes, it's fine if you want to be a single parent, if you want to do it on your own, but tricking someone into impregnating you, declaring you don't want him to marry you even though he didn't ask, then changing your mind and demanding the guy marry you because 1960s "literature" declares that boys raised by single mothers = instant homosexuality, and that's a big fat thumbs-down from me. Even though Ainsley and Duncan — two of the most unlikeable people in this book — are the only one who ever voiced what they wanted or expected, and everyone else just acted as though there was a "proper" way of doing things, and you've done "it" wrong, whatever "it" is. So like, there's reason to like them, but I still don't.