After reading the titular story, I think it’s safe to assume that some element of feminism is present and important in this collection. A lot of it is ridiculous and farcical — the three old women plotting against another man and … Continue reading →

I find it interesting that in a collection of stories that often questions the submissiveness/passiveness of women in reality or perception the title story would be “Stone Mattress.” Verna, like most of the other women, carries some kind of male-imposed … Continue reading →

These stories, “Stone Mattress” and “Torching the Dusties,” were some of the stranger stories in the collection, but both continued the themes of unlikable men and old people that have been present in almost every story so far. Death threats have … Continue reading →

I found the story “I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth” most interesting because Charis believes her dog, Ouida, is Zenia reborn into a new, more animal body. Charis thinks only about what Zenia could be: Spanish, a … Continue reading →

To begin, “I Dream of Zenia With the Bright Red Teeth” reads at the pace of flash-fiction, although it is a little long to be considered that. It is a bizarre story, but not necessarily fantastic. Zenia incarnated in Ouida … Continue reading →

“Lusus Naturae” by Margaret Atwood was an incredibly strange story. The title means “freak of nature” (according to Google) in Latin which was an interesting choice, but one that definitely fits with the strangeness and mysteriousness of the story that follows. … Continue reading →

After I finished the first paragraph of Atwood’s “Revenant” I began to wonder if my fever and flu symptoms were getting the best of me. But after a second read, I realized it was just that strange. With all of … Continue reading →

“Revenant” by Margaret Atwood was interesting as a stand-alone short story but even more interesting in the context of the previous story. As soon as we get to “Gavin,” we have a bias against him from Constance. He was the elitist … Continue reading →

“Alphinland” by Margaret Atwood was beautifully written. The language was the most compelling aspect of it for me. I particularly enjoyed a sentence on page 10, “prepared for the sunset. Prepared for the moonrise. Prepared for the ice storm. What … Continue reading →