Jonnie’s comment > Likes and Comments

There is also a commentary on consumerism more generally/socially, and the extent to which people are encouraged to consume so mindlessly and completely. There's a lot going on in this book -- it's very cleverly written.

I read this book within a year of graduating high school. That same year was the first time that I had ever lived away from my border hometown. I almost immediately became more conscious of my Canadian identity and roots in a way that let me know for the first time how heavily Americanized I was. I began describing temperatures in terms of the Celsius and not the Fahrenheit scale and reading Margaret Atwood. That was a long time ago now and I haven’t read the book since. However, what I do remember about the book was the heavy social commentary on consumerism. If I am remembering correctly, the descriptions of advertisements were featured heavily in the text. I like the above comments, however, and must confess that at the time I didn’t truly appreciate how the metaphorical converged with the literal. I was probably too young to really appreciate and identify with the protagonist because I was only beginning to embark on my life as an adult and everything was new and exciting to me. These comments make me want to read the book again. Another thing about Margaret Atwood is that I didn’t truly appreciate her sense of humour until I attended one of her book readings.