Title: The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher
Author: Hilary Mantel
Genre: Fiction / Short Stories
Source: Library
Rating: 3 out of 5
When I put this book on my reading list, I did so because the only Hilary Mantel I’d read was Wolf Hall, which I’d found hard going. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction which didn’t help but I’d heard though that Mantel’s other novels were completely different, funny and clever (I think the word acerbic was used by one reviewer). I didn’t want to take on a full novel straight away so thought this collection of short stories might be a good place to start. The title, which is also the name of the last of the short stories, sealed the deal for me because I grew up in Thatcher’s Britain and have never known a person to divide people more.
There are 10 stories in total, all of which, bar The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher, have been published previously between 1993 and 2012. All of them are dark, claustrophobic, and not very cheery. I don’t think one had a happy ending (unless you happen to dislike Maggie that is). They range from the oppression of being a woman in 1980’s Saudi Arabia to childhood cruelty and infidelity. The language reflects this darkness and I can see shades of Wolf Hall in way the stories are written; there is a grittiness to it. The real focus seems to on what is going on inside each character. In each case, it’s not particularly pleasant. Mantel’s subjects (including herself as I believe the first story is autobiographical) are not in good places and they aren’t very likeable.Read More »