Bodily Harm

By Margaret Atwood

Rennie Wilford is a freelance journalist who takes an assignment in the Caribbean in the hopes of recuperating from her recently shattered life. On the tiny island of St. Antoine, she tumbles into a corrupt world where no one is what they seem, where her rules for survival no longer apply. This is a thoroughly gripping novel of intrigue and betrayal, which explores human defensiveness, the lust for power both sexual and political, and the need for a compassion that goes beyond what we ordinarily mean by love. The enigma unfolds as it would for any innocent bystander swept up by events, bringing along the scruples, and the fears, of the past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9781551994888

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood, whose work has been published in over thirty-five countries, is the award-winning author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays. In addition to The Handmaid's Tale, which was made into a TV series, her novels include Cat's Eye, Alias Grace, Oryx and Crake, and The Robber Bride. She has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, winning once for The Blind Assassin. She lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.

Reviews for Bodily Harm

[whitebalcony · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I struggled with this book, for a number of reasons. The content was dense but there was little in the way of a compelling story line to keep me reading. It felt like I was supposed to continue... so I did. I was bored through most of the book and was relieved when it was finally over with.

[samfsmith_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Woman recovering from cancer surgery goes to a Caribbean island for a work/vacation trip and becomes involved in political upheaval. Not my favorite Atwood novel. I had a tough time understanding the point of it all, something that is usually very clear with her novels. The ending is also very dark.

[carebear36 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's not my favorite Atwood book, but it is in no way a bad book.The writing is fantastic and I love the constantly changing tone of the narration. Atwood exposes the human character in such a raw and chaotic way that it is almost impossible not to be swept away by her work. An interesting piece of fiction that explores sexual and political power in a way that truly makes the reader think.

[lisamorr · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not my favorite by Atwood, but kept my attention. About a journalist who just went through breast cancer treatment and went off to a Caribbean island to write an article. She gets caught up in a revolution as she goes through many emotions dealing with her self-image and sexuality. The ending seemed a little contrived, but it was a decent read.

[esquiress · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found Bodily Harm to be really interesting, though at some points slow-moving. It was the first Atwood that I had read that blatantly had local politics at his core and really emphasized it. That is not to say that any of her other works don't have politics in them; it's just that this one had small-island politics and revolution at its core.At first I thought it was another identity-crisis novel, but this had so much more to it. Yes, Renni was having a bit of a crisis, but then she found herself intertwined in the local politics of a small set of islands she was supposed to be writing a travel piece on. It was really interesting to see how it unfolded, especially as the novel drew to a close.I was very interested in the changes of verb tense throughout the different portions of the novel. Also, the novel was broken into parts rather than chapters. I'm not quite sure why the distant past of Renni's life was in present tense, the closer past was in past tense, the current story was in present, and the ending was in future tense. It definitely helped me differentiate among the different threads of the story that was being woven.Stylistically, the novel used a lot of dialogue, and the sentences were easy to follow and relatively short. The locals' version of English was very distinct, and I thought it came across well. I would rank this early novel between Lady Oracle and Surfacing, with Lady Oracle above. I'd definitely recommend it.

[ladybug74 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book, though it wasn't the best that I've read by this author. The book was well-written and I felt like Rennie was a real person as I read her story.

[technodiabla · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Unless you just want to read all Atwood's works, I'd skip this one. It isn't bad, but is seams cheaper, rushed through, and just not crafted with the care and brilliance of other Atwood novels.

[csweder · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of Atwood's earlier books, and I can definitely see some differences in her writing.

I think what I love about Margaret Atwood is that she is able to write about complex feelings and emotions, but in a round-about way that does not make it obvious that she is doing it.

This was the story of Rennie, a woman recently recovering from breast cancer (and feeling that her life is over). She basically stops living until she decides to go on a trip to a middle of nowhere island to get away from her life for a bit. And that's what happens...in a way. She gets a little caught up in a little revolution...

In typical Atwood fashion, the ending leaves the reader wondering...

Oh Atwood! I heart you!