Moral Disorder

A moving new book of fiction which could be seen as a collection of eleven stories that is almost a novel … or a novel broken up into eleven interrelated stories.
It resembles a photograph album — a series of clearly observed moments that trace the course of a life, and also of the other lives intertwined with it — those of parents, of siblings, of children, of friends, of enemies, of teachers and even of animals. As in a photograph album, times change, and every decade is here, from the 1930s through the 50s, 60s and 70s to the present day. The stories follow the central character through large cities, suburbs, farms and northern forests, and through the cycle of childhood and adolescence into adulthood. By turns funny, lyrical, incisive, tragic, earthy, shocking, and deeply personal, Moral Disorder displays Atwood’s celebrated storytelling gifts and unmistakable style to their best advantage. As The New York Times says, ‘the reader has the sense that Atwood has complete access to her people's emotional histories, complete understanding of their hearts and imaginations.