My Evil Mother - Margaret Atwood - ★★.½

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AUTHOR: Margaret Atwood

GENRE: Short Story.
RATING: 2.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: It was okay, and didn’t wow me as much as it did many of my friends. Back to Outlier Island!

Story Synopsis:
Set in the 1950s, this story tells us of a young girl who believes that her mother is evil, possibly a witch. The mother loves her daughter and does all things for her child’s happiness, but the way in which she does these things is suspect. Moreover, there are myriad secretive consultations with the neighbours and spurious potions in the fridge, all adding to the question mark about the mother’s true identity. As life goes on, the daughter becomes more rebellious, and the mother becomes more mysterious. How will their journey come to a satisfying end?
The story is written in flashback from the girl’s point of view, so at the end, we see how life comes a full circle.


On one hand, the positives:
✔ A few thought-provoking lines.

✔ Quick to read. Can be completed in under an hour.

✔ Interesting lead characters.

✔ Realistic mother-daughter dynamic.

✔ Good point about the circle of life.

✔ Had a couple of laughter-inducing scenes. (Garden Gnome was the best!)


On the other hand:
❌ Leaves too much left unsaid.

❌ Didn’t allow me to understand the characters though the writing is in first person. There are emotions narrated but the motivations behind them aren't much convincing.

❌ Feminism? Oh please!

❌ The ending doesn’t match the buildup. After all the ‘witchy” hoohah with references to the occult and tarot and the like, the resolution falls flat almost to the point of being idiotic.

❌ What was the point of this story? Mothers lying to their daughters (for most of their lives) is okay if this is done with their good interest in mind? Bleh!


I am a fan of short stories, but this one doesn’t offer satisfaction, especially at the end.

I’ve not yet read a full-length Atwood work to be her fan, but based on her short stories I have read so far, let’s just say that I am not yet a fan

This story seems to have been a big hit with most of my friends on Goodreads, but maybe I have read too many short stories by now to be thrilled with this average work. I have read better.

If you are looking for something sounding witchy, this is the short story for you. If you are looking for something actually witchy, stay far away.

This story is available to Amazon prime subscribers for free. So recommended only to Prime subscribers if you want to utilise your subscription for a quick read by a well-known author.

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