Cat's Eye
A breathtaking novel of a woman grappling with the tangled knot of her life—from the bestselling author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments
Disturbing, humorous, and compassionate, Cat’s Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman—but above all she must seek release form her haunting memories.
Disturbing, humorous, and compassionate, Cat’s Eye is the story of Elaine Risley, a controversial painter who returns to Toronto, the city of her youth, for a retrospective of her art. Engulfed by vivid images of the past, she reminisces about a trio of girls who initiated her into the the fierce politics of childhood and its secret world of friendship, longing, and betrayal. Elaine must come to terms with her own identity as a daughter, a lover, an artist, and a woman—but above all she must seek release form her haunting memories.
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Community Reviews
was putting this off for so long because i knew i’d love it. beautifully written, a middle aged painter returns to her hometown for a retrospective on her work and thinks on her childhood through current day life. the subtleties and nuances of girlhood and the toxicities of female friendships and complexities of being a girl/woman were just so well done. a must read classic.
I wanted to like this one more...and to be honest, there were a lot of distractions and more than a few times I could only read a page or two...so I might have liked it better in another context.
The premise of Cat's Eye seems to be dual: little girls bully one another through their friendships and you can never really go back home. The first is so true - as a teacher of upper elementary students, OMG can little girls be cruel. Atwood writes (p. 173) 'Against girls and their indirectness, their whisperings, he would be helpless." Yes, as would many men. and (p. 386) "It's so hard for me to tell, with women."
In this story, Elaine is an artist returning to her much hated hometown for a retrospective art show, triggering lots of memories of being bullied, by her friends, her lovers. She describes a great comfort in her childhood communications with her brother's friends, and chagrin at these other situation.
The premise of Cat's Eye seems to be dual: little girls bully one another through their friendships and you can never really go back home. The first is so true - as a teacher of upper elementary students, OMG can little girls be cruel. Atwood writes (p. 173) 'Against girls and their indirectness, their whisperings, he would be helpless." Yes, as would many men. and (p. 386) "It's so hard for me to tell, with women."
In this story, Elaine is an artist returning to her much hated hometown for a retrospective art show, triggering lots of memories of being bullied, by her friends, her lovers. She describes a great comfort in her childhood communications with her brother's friends, and chagrin at these other situation.
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