The Robber Bride
The Robber Bride is a
Margaret Atwood novel published in
1993. Set in present-day
Toronto, the novel begins with three women (Roz, Charis, and Tony) who meet once a month in a restaurant to share a meal. They'd recently come from a funeral for a former friend and ongoing rival of theirs named Zenia. During their most recent outing, they see Zenia, a woman they'd all grown up with who stole their respective beaus. The novel alternates between the present and flashbacks by Roz, Charis, and Tony respectively, each one with a different background for Zenia, the title character.
When in the present Roz, Charis, and Tony finally confront Zenia in a Toronto hotel room, she tells each of them that the men they'd been with wanted her more, and that they got what they deserved. After they leave defeated, however, Zenia commits suicide. The novel itself leaves the reader questioning who was (or were) the victim(s) of life.