In "Dancing Girls," Margaret Atwood probes the places in our minds we know but seldom discuss. I wanted so badly to like this volume because I love Atwood's dystopian novels and the unique voices she gives to each of her narrators. But the common theme running through the collection--negative relationships between men and women--makes for an unpleasant reading experience. After just a few stories, I felt so bad that I didn't want to continue reading. The stories are undeniably well-written, but leave the reader feeling drained.



"The War in the Bathroom" is an exception. This story is interesting because of its narrator. Who is speaking? Is this about a codependent relationship between two people, or is the main character insane? "Hair Jewellery" also stands out because it's easy to identify with the protagonist's series of intimate confessions. Remembering past events based on what one wore and imagining one's negative self-talk in the voice of a person from one's past... I had never considered these things, but they were immediately, eerily familiar. Most of the other stories, though, either meander aimlessly or make me feel as if I'm witnessing something embarrassing and should avert my eyes.