This week in book group we discussed Margaret Atwood's book Cat's Eye which is a retrospective on the life of a Canadian painter Elaine. While in Toronto for a retrospective of her paintings, Elaine looks back on her life and how the events of her influenced her identity.
The story starts with Elaine having an isolated life with her family traveling in the wilds of Canada for her father's work as a research Etymologist. Her world opens and changes when she starts going to school, having been home-schooled while on the road. In the new girls she meets she thinks she finds friends but this is soon not the case as they start to criticized every aspect of her being to the point of self-mutilation. Here we see how these actions influence her identity and plants the seeds of self-doubt. Through all this, her main tormentor, Cordelia, is the person she wants to be her friend. Although the girls eventually grow apart and Elaine finds courage to stand up for herself, throughout Elaine's life she looks for Cordelia because she wanted her to be a lifelong friend.
This is a rather simplistic summary of a very complex book that deals with a variety themes. There could be a whole discussion on how the artwork described in the book is insightful into Elaine's inner feeling and identity. The distance of male characters in this book could also be discussed and how it may contribute to the view of this work as feminist fiction. I believe the overarching themes are the construction of identity based on the events of one's past and the importance of female relationships and how they change throughout life.
If you have read this book, we would love to hear what you thought. Or if you have a book you would like to share with our group please feel free to comment on this post. The Monday Morning Book Group meets every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 10:30 at the Little Turtle Branch library. At our book club, you don't have to read the book, just come and listen. Next time we meet we will be discussing the Bee Balm Murders by Cynthia Riggs, please join us!
The story starts with Elaine having an isolated life with her family traveling in the wilds of Canada for her father's work as a research Etymologist. Her world opens and changes when she starts going to school, having been home-schooled while on the road. In the new girls she meets she thinks she finds friends but this is soon not the case as they start to criticized every aspect of her being to the point of self-mutilation. Here we see how these actions influence her identity and plants the seeds of self-doubt. Through all this, her main tormentor, Cordelia, is the person she wants to be her friend. Although the girls eventually grow apart and Elaine finds courage to stand up for herself, throughout Elaine's life she looks for Cordelia because she wanted her to be a lifelong friend.
This is a rather simplistic summary of a very complex book that deals with a variety themes. There could be a whole discussion on how the artwork described in the book is insightful into Elaine's inner feeling and identity. The distance of male characters in this book could also be discussed and how it may contribute to the view of this work as feminist fiction. I believe the overarching themes are the construction of identity based on the events of one's past and the importance of female relationships and how they change throughout life.
If you have read this book, we would love to hear what you thought. Or if you have a book you would like to share with our group please feel free to comment on this post. The Monday Morning Book Group meets every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month at 10:30 at the Little Turtle Branch library. At our book club, you don't have to read the book, just come and listen. Next time we meet we will be discussing the Bee Balm Murders by Cynthia Riggs, please join us!