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 itβthose 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 β30s, the β40s, the β50s, the β60s, the β70s, the β80s, the β90s, and the present βall are here. The settings vary: large cities, suburbs, farms, northern forests.
βThe Bad Newsβ 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 βThe Art of Cooking and Serving,β βThe Headless Horseman,β and βMy Last Duchess.β We follow her into young adulthood in βThe Other Placeβ and then through a complex relationship, traced in four of the stories: βMonopoly,β βMoral Disorder,β βWhite Horse,β and βThe Entities.β 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 Atwoodβs 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.β
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