Book Title: The Robber Bride    

Author:     Margaret Atwood

Stars (Out of 10):    6    

One Word Summary:    Convoluted

Full Review:

    The story opens in Toronto in 1990 with three friends; Tony, a military historian, Charis, a flower child, and Roz, an entrepreneur having lunch. These three women met years before in university and are bound together by a fourth classmate, Zenia who can only be described as Satanic.  The story flashes back to how Zenia came into each of their lives, earned their trust, and then basically destroyed that trust; taking a piece of each of them with her.  In some cases it was money she took; in others it was the men they loved, and in all it was a piece of their spirit.

    Each of the three friends also has in common a childhood of neglect and sexual abuse. Atwood describes their childhood, university years and womanhood in excruciating detail.  Each is vulnerable and therefore the perfect victim for the evil Zenia.  Tony almost lost her husband and her academic career.  Roz did lose her husband and almost lost her magazine. Charis lost her boyfriend.

    Zenia insinuates herself into each of their lives; metaphorically slaying approximately one a decade.  She invents tales of her own distorted childhood to worm her way into their lives.  Zenia is a monster and she systematically devours each of her victims.

    Five years before the opening of the book the 3 women had been informed of the death of Zenia and attended her funeral.  On the day the book opens; who should walk into the restaurant but Zenia.  She hadn't died after all and here she was back to destroy them again. But this time they were armed and she didn't win after all.

    The saying goes; "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger".  Well, Zenia failed to "kill" Tony, Charis, or Roz and all of her nefariousness make them infinitely stronger and also sealed their friendship with each other.

Conclusion:  
 

Amazon.com Description:

Margaret Atwood's The Robber Bride is inspired by "The Robber Bridegroom," a wonderfully grisly tale from the Brothers Grimm in which an evil groom lures three maidens into his lair and devours them, one by one. But in her version, Atwood brilliantly recasts the monster as Zenia, a villainess of demonic proportions, and sets her loose in the lives of three friends, Tony,



Charis, and Roz. All three "have lost men, spirit, money, and time to their old college acquaintance, Zenia. At various times, and in various emotional disguises, Zenia has insinuated her way into their lives and practically demolished them.

To Tony, who almost lost her husband and jeopardized her academic career, Zenia is 'a lurking enemy commando.' To Roz, who did lose her husband and almost her magazine, Zenia is 'a cold and treacherous bitch.' To Charis, who lost a
boyfriend, quarts of vegetable juice and some pet chickens, Zenia is a kind of zombie, maybe 'soulless'" (Lorrie Moore, New York Times Book Review). In love and war, illusion and deceit, Zenia's subterranean malevolence takes us deep into her enemies' pasts.