Benefits of Being a Nerd

This is going to be a biased review because Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors. I hadn't read any of her short stories until this collection and I really enjoyed her writing in this medium. A few of my favourite stories are "True Trash," "The Bog Man," "Uncles," "The Age of Lead," and, of course, "Wilderness Tips." These stories stood out for me in particular (and for very different reasons), but I actually really enjoyed all of the stories.

I really enjoyed how most (or all) of Atwood's stories had a frame structure. Most of the stories recounted a lifetime from a distilled and unique present. This is something that's new to my short story experience. Most of the stories that I've read are focused on the action of the present; however, I really enjoyed this method and think that it worked to great effect in Wilderness Tips.

I also really liked that most of the stories were set in Toronto, or Canadian summer camps. As a Canadian, it's interesting to read more stories set in my homeland.

Overall, this is a brilliant collection of short stories. If you like short fiction or Margaret Atwood and haven't read this you definitely should check it out.

Bye!