Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales

The book was not as described and was very worn and damaged with water and coffee stains but on the other hand they promptly refunded what I paid for it when I complained to Amazon. I then tossed the book in the recycling bin.

I have two earlier collections of Atwood stories, and the tales in "Stone Mattress" are tighter, sharper, and saltier than those in "Good Bones and Simple Murders" and "Moral Disorder" -- and those collections are darned good. Several of the stories in "Stone Mattress" link characters across time, and others stand in their own universe. Read them with care and attention. For instance, after you finish the title story, think about what kind of "mattress" the protagonist slept on with her several husbands. And about what kind of "fossilization" she has carried in her spirit since that night when she was 14. Which is by way of saying, Atwood's stories can take you as deep as you want to go. I loved the book, and look forward to reading "Old Babes in the Wood" (coming in March, 2023).

It has been a long, long while since I've read anything by Margaret Atwood. In fact, the only two things I've read of hers have been The Handmaid's Tale and Cat's Eye years ago. Not sure why, exactly. However, my interest was piqued by her new story collection, Stone Mattress: Nine Tales, so I decided to remedy my long Atwood drought.This is a (not surprisingly) well-written collection of stories which definitely intrigued me. In fact, there were several stories I wish ran even longer, because I so enjoyed the characters and wanted to know more about what happened to them when the stories ended.The stories in Stone Mattress: Nine Tales are mostly about reasonably normal people dealing with unusual or emotionally challenging circumstances. My favorites included: "The Dead Hand Loves You," in which the author of a horror masterpiece, written to get him out of debt more than anything else, reflects on the circumstances in which he created the book, and the people who inspired him and fired his resentment; "Torching the Dusties," where an elderly woman in an assisted living facility is struggling both with the visions of little people she keeps seeing and the fact that an activist group has stormed her facility, threatening to burn it down and kill all the residents; "The Freeze-Dried Groom," about an antique dealer and thief who finds more than he bargained for when he bids on an unclaimed storage unit; and the title story, in which a woman rights a long-festering wrong, on an Arctic cruise, of all places. I also really enjoyed the trio of linked stories, "Alphinland," "Revenant," and "Dark Lady," which dealt with two writers battling the challenges of growing old and reflecting on their work, and a woman who once came between them.I felt Atwood was at her best in this collection when her stories, dark as they may be, were slightly more grounded in reality than those which dealt with more fantastical subjects. I really enjoyed her writing, and reading this definitely has me thinking I'll need to read more of her books.

Margaret Atwood's deft twists of language star in this collection of short fiction. I used one of the quotes as headline because I am bewitched with it. Both comments noting there is not a thing anyone can do about it. Most of the action in these stories takes place in one of the freak ice storms appearing in our world, this one in Toronto . Atwood clearly has her eyes open to the quirks of this world and the people within it.The first three stories are linked by references to Alphinland, a fantasy series written by one of the main characters. I am deeply tempted to bring Atwood herself into this character given the white haired appearance of both the author and the character. Added to this is the tendency of Margaret to write fantasy novels, the temptation is deep. I loved the character, Constance, with her affection of her own work and her firm lack of pretense in her fame. She is beautifully drawn in her older years as a woman who maintains her past within her. Her view of the world is wry and literate. I love her take on the fussings of her adult children. Her interaction with her past, which is further revealed in the other two stories, is familiar and dear to aging children who read her. As for the young, it is beguiling to see the future does not obliterate the soul as the body ages.Her sense of humor is extended in the other tales, and I found bits in all of them to kindle a memory or to enjoy the skillful nailing of a nebulous thought. After all, isn't that one of the functions of fiction but to place the unsayable into words that one can carry home?

There are truly 'tales'...fantastic (though totally believable) and not merely 'stories' which by their moniker seem to be lesser in terms of intensity. And interesting these tales are. Perhaps it's the 'age' thing (as we get older, we get bolder) or perhaps it's the 'success' thing (she's definitely been that), but there is a sure-handedness to these tales that loops one into the tale and makes it real. Who hasn't dreamed of ultimate vindication (if not of ultimate resolution) of many an experience in 'younger' life? Who hasn't thought of murder as a solution, but lacked the expertise/sophisticated thinking to develop a tactic that would 'work'? By the time I got to the last 'tale' I was totally convinced it was a 'true' imagined tale of her/our future. I was not diverted by the 'little people' our heroine saw (through her affliction) and actually believed there might be one (and maybe one only) resourceful senior who understood how to try for the best outcome.I think what I like best about these tales (and I've been reading Margaret Atwood since 'Edible Woman' was released in 1969 when I first moved to Toronto and vowed to 'learn about' Canadian literature) is that they straddle comfortably the unnecessary lines between imagination, fiction, and pure craziness.

Atwood delivers another great book.

“The Handmaid's Tale” passed me by, so I didn't know what to expect from this book when I found it through the Charles Bonnet Syndrome Foundation. The cover (“nine wicked tales”) gave a clue, as did the words “darkly funny” in so many reviews, but the word that defines it for me was “waspish”.The stories start gently, with newly widowed Constance hearing her late husband's advice - “other recently bereaved people have had the same experience. … It's normal, she's not crazy” Then we're introduced to her earlier days, and by the end of the third story, the poet lover of her youth and all his muses have been well and truly skewered.The next story tells of a hideously disfigured child hidden away as one dead – until she is seen and the deception ends. A couple more wicked stories, and Atwood is back on surer ground. “The Dead Hand Loves You” is pure Robert Louis Stevenson – an idle young man is coaxed into finishing his teenage novel by signing a contract with his flatmates to share his royalties with them in return for having his rent paid. The trouble is that the book is a howling success and the now middle-aged author is penniless from having to share his only source of income.“Stone Mattress” may be simpler but no less intricate. A serial widow on an Arctic cruise copes well with an elderly braggart, even more so when she recognises him as the teenage rapist who left her crying in the gutter after a school prom fifty years ago. Her inevitable revenge is as meticulously planned as is the careful way in which her plans and the flashbacks are knitted together.Which leads to the last story, the one promoted by the Charles Bonnet Foundation for victims of glaucoma – only Wilma's not a victim, “she has to admire the slapdash abandon” of the figures that dance before her eyes. Comfortable enough in her expensive flat at Ambrosia Manor, she puts up with the attentions of pompous old Tobias – she has more practical problems. “The bathroom is still manageable: she knows where everything is in there, and it isn't as if she can't see at all.” It's Tobias who steers Wilma through the minefield of daily routine for the visually impaired, even if it's Wilma who first learns of the violent campaign to rid the world of old people. All the while, Wilma's little people are dancing. In the world outside Ambrosia Manor, the pickets grow and “the little people are agitated today … but she can't attend to them right now, because there are more serious matters to be considered.” Finally, the protesters storm the gates and the elderly residents have to protect themselves as best they can. “Blended with the flames … are the little people. They're swirling upward, they're so joyful. Look, look, they're singing.”Not a comfortable read, but who said was comfort was good for you ?(This review originally appeared in the Chesil Magazine, Dorset)

I’m a huge fan of Atwood. I really enjoyed this collection of stories. Most collections have one or two stories that don’t work but that isn’t the case here. Every story is strong and worthy of praise. The best stories were Dark Lady, I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth and The Dead Hand Loves You. All of the stories are good but these shone a little brighter. The stories are quite dark and have a lot of humour in them. I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth is a spin-off from Atwood’s fantastic novel, The Robber Bride.

I found the first three stories, which link together, slightly tedious and they didn’t feel dark enough to capture my interest, plus none of the characters were likable or particularly interesting to me. But after that, the stories pick up and I enjoyed the rest, especially “Lusus Naturae” (a fascinating take on a vampire story), “The Freeze-Dried Groom” (both chilling and humorous) and “Stone Mattress” (a satisfying tale of revenge at last). The stories mostly focus on older/elderly people, and there are a lot of bitter grudges, frustrated dreams and revenge fantasies.

I had been savouring this book on my Kindle - reading the stories in between other things. I almost forgot to finish it! Themes of revenge, ageing and death. Very funny and acutely observational too. Almost reaching the absurd at times: playful. She writes at a literary level which conversational but with such pith. Each story is a miniature masterpiece in the insightful evocation of character, their lives dilemmas. I enjoyed all the surprising twists and ingenious 'takes' on themes which you thoughts had been covered. Here they are fresh and delightful!