Payback by Margaret Atwood

Considering the spotlight on finances as of late, I assumed this would be another book about debt facts on both personal and public levels. What piqued my interest was that the author is Margaret Atwood, who I would have never pictured writing any book about money or finance. The book is actually about debt from a cultural, historical, religious, and moral standpoint. It is a refreshing and unique look at the world of debt throughtout the ages to the present day. It is not only about the value of debt but also the fictitiousness of debt. I have read Atwood in the past, but never any non-fiction. This was very different from her usual work, obviously, but it doesn’t fall short by any means. It shows her ability as a literary genius to take her knowledge of literature and culture, and use that knowledge to analyze debt in north american society today. She uses her knowledge in a way that I don’t think an economist could have and ends up surprising you at the end of the book, when you realize these facts aren’t simply scattered bits of trivia but rather seeds of information to allow the reader to see the bigger picture at the end. Witty, as she often is, and brilliant, as she always is, this book is truly a shining moment for Atwood because it breaks any assumptions about how limited she is in her writing. This book is something I would recommend to historians, economists, environmentalist, and book snobs alike


Rating: 4/5