Book of Lives

by Margaret Atwood

Memoir

Literary

Biography

640 Pages

"Witty, wise, and revelatory—Atwood finally tells her own story with the same brilliance she's brought to her fiction."

Synopsis

How does one of the greatest storytellers of our time write her own life? The long-awaited memoir from literary icon Margaret Atwood unfolds the story of an extraordinary existence, beginning with her unconventional childhood. Raised by ruggedly independent, scientifically minded parents—an entomologist father and dietician mother—Atwood spent most of each year in the wild forests of northern Quebec. This nomadic, unfettered childhood was sometimes isolated yet thrilling and beautiful, shaping the imagination of the writer she would become. From this remarkable start, Atwood traces the arc of her life, linking seminal moments to the books that have defined our literary landscape. She reveals the cruel year that spawned Cat's Eye, the Orwellian atmosphere of 1980s Berlin where she wrote The Handmaid's Tale, and the decades of bohemian gatherings, political activism, and creative ferment that followed. We meet poets, bears, Hollywood actors, and larger-than-life characters who could have stepped from the pages of an Atwood novel. Through it all runs her magical life with the wildly charismatic writer Graeme Gibson, whose presence enriches every page. As we travel with Atwood through major political turning points and intimate personal moments, she reveals the intricate connections between real life and art, offering unprecedented insight into the workings of one of our greatest imaginations.

Our Take

Book of Lives is the memoir readers have been waiting decades for—Margaret Atwood finally turning her formidable storytelling powers on her own extraordinary life. What makes this memoir exceptional is Atwood's refusal to mythologize herself or her work. Her characteristic wit, sharp observations, and unflinching honesty are present on every page as she examines how a girl raised in the Quebec wilderness became one of literature's most influential voices. The structure brilliantly weaves between life events and the creation of her major works, showing how personal experience transforms into art without reducing the fiction to simple autobiography. Her account of writing The Handmaid's Tale in Cold War Berlin is particularly fascinating, revealing how political atmosphere seeps into creative work. The portrait of her relationship with Graeme Gibson is tender and complex, avoiding sentimentality while honoring genuine love. Atwood writes about the literary world with insider knowledge and devastating humor, capturing bohemian gatherings, publishing dramas, and the evolution of Canadian literature. What emerges is not just one life but multiple lives—the child, the poet, the novelist, the activist, the partner—all coexisting in one remarkable woman. For fans of her fiction, this provides invaluable context; for general readers, it's simply a masterclass in memoir writing. Essential reading for anyone interested in creativity, literature, or how an unconventional life shapes an extraordinary imagination.