Cut and Thirst: A Short Story
From Margaret Atwood, the celebrated author of The Handmaid's Tale, comes a wickedly funny short story about three women who decide, over fine cheese and good company, that justice has waited long enough. Myrna, Leonie, and Chrissy gather each Thursday to taste aged wheels and soft rinds, swap memories of their academic years, and, more recently, to plot something rather more serious. Decades earlier, a smug clique of male poets made it their business to publicly dismantle their friend Fern: her career, her confidence, her wellbeing. Now, with Fern's health declining, the trio agree it's time to act. Quietly, naturally, since Fern's gentle temperament would never stomach a vendetta on her behalf. What they need is a plan with the sweep and spectacle of Shakespeare. The story is sharp, dry, and threaded with the kind of humour that makes you wince while you laugh. Atwood writes about female loyalty and long-simmering grievance with the precision of someone who has watched such wrongs go unaddressed for far too long. It's a compact, satisfying read, though revenge, as it turns out, is rarely as tidy as the wronged party might hope.
- Author: Margaret Atwood
- Publisher: Amazon Original Stories
- Genre: Fantasy
- ISBN: 978-1662523335
- Pages: 34 pages