Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood

This is a short story about three ('older' not 'old') women who meet up every week to enjoy a bit of of cheese and crackers and to reminisce about the old days. When one of their group becomes ill, the women decide to avenge the men who belittled their friend when she started her writing career many years before.

The women plan murder as they share their new selection of cheeses. Yes, the characters - 'Three respectable elderly women really sitting in a pastel garden planning the murders of nine has-been writers' - do border on some kind of upmarket farce in their ideas. They think of all the potential methods of killing someone while taking into account of their medical issues, such as cataracts and astigmatisms. They finally settle on a plan...

The women really are living their best lives in Toronto, Canada. Well written, this is a sharp and witty story and bound to lighten your day. Read with some cheese and a gin and tonic. 

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Published by Amazon Original Stories on 1 May 2024.
​Advance review copy supplied by the publisher.

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