Book Review: Two Scorched Men by Margaret Atwood
Rating: ★★★★
In Summary
Genre: fiction; semi-autobiographical tale
Publication Date: 4th August 2021 via Scribd
No. Of Pages: 29
Keywords: history; friendship; life experiences; death; PTSD; war
Content Warnings: death; injury; discussion of war and trauma
Format: e-book and audiobook, both via Scribd Originals
Image courtesy of NetGalley
Review:
Margaret Atwood enjoys a level of notoriety that most authors, especially those still with us, can only dream of. Her books have been turned into films and TV series, all with success. She even has the presence to serve viewers a cameo appearance in some of these adaptations; in the style of Alfred Hitchcock and Stan Lee.
They are studied on educational curricula at all levels and used as political and social allegories; providing commentaries on our greatest achievements and failures, as well as insight into our deepest dystopian nightmares.
So when I heard she had written a short story, I was keen to get my hands on a copy. When I found out this short story was semi-autobiographical, I was nothing short of ravenous for it.
"Two Scorched Men" follows the friendship between two very different men whose lives have been unalterably changed by the effects of World War Two and the tragedies they have seen.
Our two protagonists; John and Francois; could not be more different. Short-tempered and hot-headed, John is a former Royal Navy soldier who now lives in France and owns the house rented by the narrator. Friendly Frenchman Francois has a humorous wit, but also a history with the French Resistance. Much the calm to John's storm, Francois was part of the Resistance and his personal life is littered with tragedies that are juxtaposed with his jovial nature.
The friendship is recounted by a narrator; unnamed and almost omnipresent, the narrator weaves their experiences of the men with an outsider’s view of their friendship and details of each man's past which have been shared candidly with the narrator and their partner.
Atwood has said the book is a semi-autobiographical account of a year she spent living with her husband and daughter in Provence. Francois and John are real people, who recounted their stories to Atwood during her time there. This makes the story all the more poignant; these friends existed, they lived through the tragedies we read about and the reader feels all the more in tune with the story because of this.
As a short story, it's hard to give too many details without spoiling the events of the book. However, I will say this: I devoured this book in half an hour and during that time I laughed and cried without exaggeration. John and Francois are realistic, endearing and sometimes irritating characters. You become embroiled in their story and your emotions are exhausted by the end of it. Margaret Atwood has managed to condense the emotions and details that make her novels so enthralling into a short story that will not disappoint her fans.
The Round Up:
Standout Quote or Moment: “I would someday relate their lives for them. Why did they want this? Why does anyone? We resist the notion that we’ll become mere handfuls of dust, so we wish to become words instead. Breath in the mouths of others.”
Read If: You're an Atwood fan; you enjoy short stories; you like an emotional read.
Similar Books: All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls; They Both Die At The End by Anthony Silvera; Things We Never Said by Nick Alexander
Last Impressions: Emotional and poignant, whilst still being an easy and quick read, this is a must for both long-time fans of Atwood and those that are new to her writing. I think this book would be a great introduction to Atwood's writing style.
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Written by Jenna Tomlinson
