Friday 18 May 2012

Devouring Books: The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

Because I'm stupid, my Atwood history goes: Read The Handmaid's Tale and LOVED it. Then, waited nearly 2 years to read Oryx and Crake because I'm mental. Then, two weeks later, I read The Year of the Flood. And I didn't even think I liked Oryx and Crake that much (or, at least not as much as The Handmaid's Tale, because there are family members I don't even like that much), and yet, when promised more information on the world created in Oryx and Crake, which The Year of the Flood provides, I jumped all over it.

Weird stuff. But, I'm glad that I did because I think I ended up enjoying The Year of the Flood more than Oryx and Crake, and I think that if I'd left, say, a year between them, I would have ended up missing a lot of the connections between the two books, and The Year of the Flood wouldn't have had the same impact on me. Because, the thing is, I'm really really into the little jolts you get when you realise something's related to another story. It's one of the reasons that The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster is one of my favourite books, and when realising, in The Year of the Flood, that, for example, Glenn was Crake from the first book? It captured my attention, and made me way more interested in the things going on in The Year of the Flood.

So. The Year of the Flood. Everything in it basically happens parallel to the things that happen in Oryx and Crake, but rather than being at, essentially, Ground Zero of the whole end of the world thing, it's seen from the perspective of a vegetarian cult, who basically sprung up as a result of the crazy technological advances they saw going on in the world, preaching that it would all end in a 'waterless flood' and the wiping out of all the bad things in the dystopian world. So, basically, the kind of cult that everyone thinks is crazy until everything they've been saying comes true and goes '...fuck.' Actually, that pretty much never happens in real life, but imagine that it could and then you're in a position to be able to read The Year of the Flood!

I think there's really one fundamental reason that I prefer The Year of the Flood to Oryx and Crake, and that's basically that it has female protagonists. Pretty predictably, I guess, because while I don't dislike male protagonists in general (obviously I take books on a cast by case basis!), if I'm given a choice between hearing a story from the boys' or the girls' perspective, I'm basically always going to choose the girls. On that note, let me say that I adore Toby, who is loyal to God's Gardeners (that's the cult) because they rescued her from this abusive 'boyfriend' (as in, he said 'you're my girlfriend or you're dead' i.e. her constant rapist) and who really has this incredible toughness to her, in every aspect of her being. Our other protagonist is Ren, who I still like, only less than Toby, but who is integral to the story because she's the one whose timeline crosses over with that of Oryx and Crake. (I don't want to say how, because I don't want to ruin those exciting little jolts!)

So. Like Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood goes between the present of the post-dystopia, and the past of the dystopia that really, these characters were quite apart from. Of these, their present is pretty similar to Jimmy's in Oryx and Crake- the isolation, the worries about food supplies and attackers and things like that, but their pasts, other than where they overlap, are really quite different. I would say this about the overlapping though- I'm a little bit skeptical of the timeline of events, as in, it seems like Jimmy and Glenn meet much later in The Year of the Flood than they do in Oryx and Crake, but I can't really be bothered to properly check, AND it's possible that this was intentional- that either Ren or Jimmy are remembering things wrongly because the adjustment to this new world has addled their brains.

So, basically, The Year of the Flood- it is good! I liked that it felt like you could read it and Oryx and Crake pretty much in any order (although the ending of The Year of the Flood kind of de-cliffhangers the end of Oryx and Crake) because they run parallel to each other, which I think is an interesting way to approach a trilogy. And oh yes- this is apparently going to be a trilogy. So, basically, I'm pretty excited for the publication of the last one. Whenever that may be...

14 comments:

  1. OK now I'm more interested in checking this out after reading your review. Cos I would like to read more Atwood but don't know what. Do you think reading this one before Oryx & Crake (if I get to that one) is a bad idea given the whole "cliffhangers but not anymore!" stuff?

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    1. Hmm... Hmmm. Well. I don't think it's a bad idea cause I did like this more than Oryx and Crake, and also, the cliffhangery bit of it like isn't *that* cliffhangery. I don't know how to explain that any better i.e. using actual words, but, tbh, when I read Oryx and Crake I didn't even realise the end *was* a cliffhanger, so... yeah.

      Basically, I like the order I read them in, but I think the other way around would be equally as good, so go with whichever! :)

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  2. I refuse to like Atwood but I still plan on reading Handmaid's Tale.

    And I have to tell you here and not on my blog that I kind of didn't actually read Volcano, but they needed a review this week and I'd only gotten through like 40 pages out of like 150, so it's all based on the first 40 pages plus what I read on the internet and I feel BAD about this, but I really don't think it's my cup of tea but it might not be as blatantly metaphorical as I made it out be but I think it probably is.

    I will of course say nothing of this in my response to you on my blog.

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    1. But if you like The Handmaid's Tale you'll maybe forgive Atwood? Please say yes...

      Also, ah! I see. I'm mildly more interested in it now, if only to finish it and be like 'HA! Actually they all joined a circus and found true love!' or something awesome like that. Or to read it and go 'duuude, Murakami is much better than this crap!'

      Way to be secretive though dude- you should be like a spy or something!

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  3. Make sure you check out The Blind Assassin. Atwood's creativity, writing skill and wit really come across in this novel.

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    1. I do have a copy of The Blind Assassin, so I'll definitely get to it at some point- thanks for the tip though!

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  4. I'm not a fan of Atwood really but a friend tells me I *must* read this one. She's torn between loving this one and O&C more -- she changes each time I talk to her. I do adore this cover!

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    1. WHAT IS WITH THE LACK OF ATWOOD FANDOM?! Although... I think I was sort of lucky reading The Handmaid's Tale first, because while I like these two books and all, they do sort of suggest to me that Atwood maybe isn't as good as I thought she was (although, admittedly, I thought she was basically a Goddess after THT, so, yeah). I think I love The Year of the Flood better, but what I like the best is the connections and parallels between them and stuff, so both, basically!

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  5. I actually read the companion books backwards, so got Year of the Flood first. I'm glad I read it that way, because Year of the Flood, imho, is so much better! I think you are absolutely right that the female protagonists are what makes it better. Also, as a vegetarian, gotta say, I was not AGAINST the vegetarian cult and rooftop gardens. The praying was a bit much though. ;-)

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    1. *Calls up to Red* 'Did you hear that, Alley?!'

      Anyway, yeah! It's good to know that they can be read the other way round and still be sort of awesome, as I suspected! Also, I'm totally not against the vegetarian side of the cult, I'm more just iffy over groups using religion as justification for things because that all seems to lead down a slippery slope (although it kind of doesn't in TYOTF, I realise... They are a very nice cult, I'd say :) )

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    2. Woo! I'm going for Year of the Flood and MAYBE I'll get to O&C

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    3. Awesommmme! I feel like, once you read The Year of the Flood, you'll be like 'yeah, but what *happened*' and then will feel compelled to read Oryx and Crake. At least, I had that but the other way round, so you MUST FEEL THE SAME! Hehe

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  6. I read those books in the same order as you but I enjoyed the reading experiance of Year of the Flood more but Oryx and Crake will be the one that stays with me.

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  7. That's an interesting perspective. I read Oryx & Crake last month and it was my first Atwood. Perhaps I should pick up The Year of the Flood soon before I forget about the story and characters.

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