Margaret Atwood is acknowledged as one of the foremost
writers of our time. In Moral Disorder, she has created a
series of interconnected stories that trace the course of a
life and also the lives intertwined with it—those of
parents, of siblings, of children, of friends, of enemies,
of teachers, and even of animals. As in a photograph album,
time is measured in sharp, clearly observed moments. The
’30s, the ’40s, the ’50s, the ’60s, the ’70s, the ’80s, the
’90s, and the present —all are here. The settings vary:
large cities, suburbs, farms, northern forests.
“The Bad News” is set in the present, as a couple no longer
young situate themselves in a larger world no longer safe.
The narrative then switches time as the central character
moves through childhood and adolescence in “The Art of
Cooking and Serving,” “The Headless Horseman,” and “My Last
Duchess.” We follow her into young adulthood in “The Other
Place” and then through a complex relationship, traced in
four of the stories: “Monopoly,” “Moral Disorder,” “White
Horse,” and “The Entities.” The last two stories, "The
Labrador Fiasco" and "The Boys at the Lab," deal with the
heartbreaking old age of parents but circle back again to
childhood, to complete the cycle.
By turns funny, lyrical, incisive, tragic, earthy, shocking,
and deeply personal, Moral Disorder displays Atwood’s
celebrated storytelling gifts and unmistakable style to
their best advantage. As the New York Times has said: "The
reader has the sense that Atwood has complete access to her
people's emotional histories, complete understanding of
their hearts and imaginations.”
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