Margaret Atwood leans into evocative imagery and rumination on language in this book. At times, it reads more like poetry, as she turns words and adages on their head, leaving no linguistic stone unturned. What a pleasure also to see a cynical octogenarian as a narrator. Atwood does not shy away from the effects of aging, especially under the burden of remorse and a troubled past. The book-within-the-book unfolds and wraps around the main sections with little hints at the mysteries behind what we are directly told scattered throughout. I found the book rather slow at times, but otherwise, a skillful masterpiece. 

I debated what to say in my review of this book. It's an intriguing set of literary devices, to be sure--stories within stories within stories, nonstandard narrator approach, nonlinear flow, interweaving "news articles" into a narrated plot. It takes quite a writer to ensure that those devices don't become cacophonous, and I think Atwood succeeds in that regard.

It's not a happy tale, which has been my experience with Atwood's other works. There is a great deal of depth in each character, and many different ways that depth is achieved. The level of unhappiness feels true to life--believable, if a bit fatiguing as a reader. There are laugh-out-loud funny moments mixed in with commentary on the meaning of life and wisdom of the choices we make. No character is perfect or overly trope-y. 

The pacing was too slow for my taste, and there was too much content that didn't feel like it added anything except length. I believe others might see that as the way the narrator thinks or different characters engage in the world of the narrator, but for me, the excess was just dull.

Overall, I do recommend for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, slow burn mysteries, or reflective characters.