Cat's Eye

Before reaching middle school, I pretty much believed that my friends—who they were and how many I had—determined my value. But my circle could be fickle; girls were ostracized for minor infractions (you bought the same coat as me!) I lived with daily fear of being dropped.

So Cat’s Eye captivated me with its lack of sentimentality in depicting (some) girls’ friendships. Elaine, a middle-aged artist, returns alone to Toronto, the city where she grew up,  for a retrospective of her work. The trip gives Elaine space to reflect on her life in that city, and Cordelia, her childhood “friend”,… show more.

This was the first novel I encountered that captured the long half-life of an adolescent friendship that never leaves you, a first love that was both toxic and transformative.

Atwood allows the ripple effect of Elaine’s friendship with Cordelia to echo throughout her adulthood, her painting career, her marriage. Maybe it stuck with me because I hadn’t realized you could write about the good and the bad in one character and both could be so gripping, or because of the way Atwood captures the moment when another girl’s entire existence is so intoxicating—her family and her home and… show more.

I do love a book that has someone going home to deal with past traumas and this, for me, is one of the best. In Cat’s Eye, Elaine is forced to confront the issues raised by being back in Toronto – namely being the memory of her former friend and subsequent tormentor Cordelia. It’s a devastating look at the relationship between bully and victim. It’s not always a comfortable read – especially if your school years weren’t all plain sailing – but Margaret Atwood writes it beautifully.