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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
The hanging of the maids is central; violence in mythological context
Language
Barely any
Mild language; Atwood's characteristically sharp wit
Sexual Content
Barely any
Sexual content implied in Penelope's marriage and the maids' experiences
Substance Use
Barely any
Brief references to period drinking
Emotional Intensity
Some
Feminist critique, injustice of the silenced female perspective, and dark humor about mortality
What this book is about
Atwood reimagines the Odyssey from Penelope's perspective, as she narrates from Hades with sardonic clarity. But the twelve maids hanged at the story's end form a chorus demanding to know why their deaths were acceptable. Atwood's Canongate Myths contribution is slim, witty, and piercing in its feminist reframing of a canonical story.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Hanging of women depicted
Feminist mythology critique
Dark themes
Reader Verification
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