Surfacing

novel by Atwood

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July 19, 2026

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Surfacing is a 1972 novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The novel explores the relationship between nature and culture through the story of a woman who returns to her childhood home in the Quebec wilderness. Recurring themes in Atwood's novels, such as role reversal and new beginnings, are present, focusing on women navigating their place in the world. The book was also adapted into a film in 1981.123

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Margaret Atwood
Novels
…surreal The Edible Woman (1969); Surfacing (1972; film 1981), an exploration of the relationship between nature and culture that focuses on a woman’s return to her childhood home in the northern wilderness of Quebec; Lady Oracle (1976); Cat’s Eye (1988); The Robber Bride (1993; television film 2007); and Alias Grace
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…surreal The Edible Woman (1969); Surfacing (1972; film 1981), an exploration of the relationship between nature and culture that focuses on a woman’s return to her childhood home in the northern wilderness of Quebec; Lady Oracle (1976); Cat’s Eye (1988); The Robber Bride (1993; television film 2007); and Alias Grace
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