"In my dreams of this city I am always lost." - Margaret Atwood, Cat's Eye
I managed to finish Cat's Eye by Atwood during my many commutes on the train for about a week; that tells you how much I'm on the damn train. I love the book - but really, how could you not? My first Atwood, she articulates the very thoughts you'd repressed into the state of the vestigial because of some probable traumatic childhood moments of being a young girl. Some really great commentaries on gender roles, especially. This reflection is brief and my tired state is ephemeral, but she gets deep into your veins, your lungs. You breathe in as a surrogate of Elaine Risley's own feelings at times, and exhale as your past 9 year old self. I found myself, today, asking my nine year old cousin about her friends in school.
The ending was not as strong as the beginning and rest of the book, but I was semiconscious yesterday, so I'll have to revisit it. One of many favorite quotes:
"I want to protect myself from any further, darker memories of hers, get myself out of here gracefully before something embarrassing happens. She's balanced on the edge of an artificial hilarity that could topple over at any moment into its opposite, into tears and desperation."
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