Skip to content
Cécile Sune Cécile Sune
  • Blog
  • Authors
  • About me
  • Contact
Cécile Sune
Cécile Sune

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

November 5, 2013April 1, 2014
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

On 24 September 2013, Margaret Atwood came to Ottawa to present the last book in the MaddAddam Trilogy. The event took place at the Southminster United Church, and the place was packed, a testament to the author’s fame. Margaret Atwood, all dressed in black with a red and gold shawl,  talked about the dystopian world she imagined in the MaddAddam Trilogy. The story came to her almost in its entirety while she was bird-watching in Australia in March 2001 and saw the red-necked crakes, an endangered species. The author has always been interested in genetic engineering, especially since several  of her close relatives are scientists. In fact, she has been reading scientific magazines to keep up with her family at the dinner table, and this gave her a good knowledge of the scientific innovations in this field.

Hearing her talk about the series made me want to read it, so I started with the first book, “Oryx and Crake”. It is the story of Snowman who lives alone in a post-apocalyptic world where the coastal cities of North America are under water, and strange animals roam free. Flashbacks show us how Snowman came to be the last survivor of his kind after an epidemic killed the rest of the human race. At first, I must say that I was a little put off by the main character and narrator, Snowman. I didn’t particularly like him: he is an anti-hero, full of flaws. He is lazy and cowardly, and he doesn’t have much qualms about betraying his friends. But then, as the story progresses, I couldn’t help but wonder what I would have done in the same situation. And the scary part of the book is that Margaret Atwood based her speculative fiction on real breakthroughs in genetic engineering. So the future of Oryx and Crake might become our future in a few decades…

Fun facts about the book:

  • Jimmy chose Snowman as his new name, after the abominable snowman or yeti.
  • The Oryx and Crake world is populated by genetically modified animals such as pigoons, rakunks and wolvogs.
  • Amanda Payne is a real name. The owner won an auction to raise funds for the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in the UK.

About the author and her work: Margaret Atwood’s Website

To read my review of the second book in the MaddAddam Trilogy: The Year of the Flood

To read my review of the third book in the MaddAddam Trilogy: MaddAddam

If you liked this book you might also like:

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
1984 by George Orwell
1984 by George Orwell
Fiction Margaret Atwood dystopiafictionfriendshipfuturegenetic engineeringmargaret atwoodpost-apocalypticreviewspeculative fictionsurvival

Post navigation

Previous post
Next post

Cecile

Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).

Related Posts

Fiction What Does It Feel Like

What Does It Feel Like? – Sophie Kinsella

October 31, 2024October 31, 2024

Summary After undergoing brain surgery to remove a tumour, Eve, a successful writer, doesn’t remember why she is in the hospital. She has to learn to walk again and improve her cognitive functions. As she goes through therapy with her husband by her side, she learns to live in the moment and appreciate small victories. Quote “You have incurable cancer, my beautiful Eve. But you keep forgetting and I have…

Read More
Event Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood in Ottawa

November 17, 2015December 9, 2018

Margaret Atwood was in Ottawa yesterday to present her new book The Heart Goes Last. She was interviewed by Alan Neal from CBC at the Southminster United Church on Aylmer Avenue. The place was packed, but I managed to get a seat not too far from the stage. The audience consisted mainly of women of a certain age, even though I spotted a few men here and there. The Heart…

Read More
Esi Edugyan The Orenda by Joseph Boyden

Canada Reads 2014 Winner

March 6, 2014January 9, 2018

Congratulations to Joseph Boyden, the Canada Reads 2014 Winner for The Orenda! Canada Reads is an annual competition where 5 personalities defend their favorite book. The debates are broadcast on CBC, and panelists eliminate one book at a time until only one is left. The remaining title is proclaimed the best book of that particular year. The award was initially created in an effort to boost sales of Canadian titles….

Read More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Goodreads Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge

2024 Reading Challenge
Cecile has read 70 books toward her goal of 100 books.
hide
70 of 100 (70%)
view books
©2025 Cécile Sune | WordPress Theme by SuperbThemes