Book Review: Oryx and Crake

Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake is a beautiful intersection of literary writing and science fiction, and is probably one of the best written books I've come across recently. Although the novel's setting and circumstances are science (or speculative) fiction, the novel is, at its heart, a story of a strange menage a trois. As the protagonist stumbles through a bizarre post-apocalyptic world, plagued by guilt, fear, confusion, and responsibility, his flashbacks fascinate us with an almost mythical duo: Oryx and Crake. As the story unfolds, we become entranced by the compelling, pitiful, and brilliant characters and their engrossing, horrific, and beautiful relationships. Atwood's speculations on the worst case scenarios of genetic engineering, cosmetic medicine, and corporate greed are well-researched and believable. Her language and writing is eloquent, tragic, playful, and perfect. The pages of this book turn themselves.

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