I've been slowly making my way through all of Atwood over the years, and as this is probably one of her lesser known works, it was one of the last for me to sink my teeth into. I love Atwood's writing, she's so gifted at creating characters, and in this book her character creation is at it's peak. All the women are so perfectly fleshed out, so different from each other, and getting inside each of their heads is equally engaging. I loved the way the book moves between the women's past and present, showing all they've been through and the ways Zenia (an amazingly complex "bad guy") destroyed their lives. I finished the book in under two days, it was just that engaging. This is a beautiful story of the twists and turns of friendship, and in my opinion one of Atwood's best.