MixedPittsburgh Post-Gazette… a multilayered, unorthodox tale of avarice, love and survival that resonates on several levels. What has been marketed as a novel within a novel could be better described as pulp fantasy within a romance novel within a dark family saga … As a novella, Laura’s tale doesn’t work as well as the rest of the book. Those not fond of science fiction will lose patience with the free-style tale; others who are fond of stories of another world will probably find her work brilliant … It’s not the writing style or genre that prompts impatience, it’s the complexity. Just as the memoir unfolds, she interrupts with yet another tale, decorating the collage with more color, via newspaper clippings, obituaries and sci-fi parables. But variety is quintessential Atwood, and her talent always beckons.
