One of the world's most celebrated authors, Margaret Atwood has written a collection of smart and entertaining fictional essays, in the genre of her previous books Good Bones and Murder in the Dark. Chilling and witty, prescient and personal, delectable and tart, these highly imaginative tales tackle a broad range of subjects, reflecting the times we live in with deadly accuracy and knife- edge precision. Punctuated with wonderful illustrations by the author, they are vintage Atwood.

1

Life Stories 3

Clothing Dreams 7

Bottle 9

Impenetrable Forest 13

Encouraging the Young 17

Voice 21

No More Photos 25

Orphan Stories 27

Gateway 33

Bottle II 37

II

Winter's Tales 43

It's Not Easy Being Half-Divine 47

SalomeWas a Dancer 51

P[ots for Exotics 55

Resources of the Ikarians 59

Our Cat Enters Heaven 63

Chicken Litt|e Goes Too Far 67

Thylacine Ragout 73

The Animals Reject Their Names and

Things Return to Their Origins 77

Three Novels I Won't Write Soon 85

Take Charge 93

Post-Colonial 97

Heritage House 101

Bring Back Mom:An Invocation 105

III

Horatio's Version 115

King Log in Exile 121

Faster 125

Eating the Birds 127

Something Has Happened 131

Nightingale 133

Warlords 139

The Tent 143

Time Folds 147

Tree Baby 149

But It Cou|d Still 153