What is the author's style in The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood?

The Robber Bride is written in a contemporary and easy to read style, but the readability of the prose belies the tremendous craft that the author employs in her work. The text moves easily in a stream-of-consciousness flow, but it is apparent that each word has been chosen with calculation and precision. The language employed in the novel is not in any way unusual, and yet the author carefully combines her words and pacing to result in some extremely memorable and emotionally powerful passages. Despite its emotional power, the novel's tone is gentle, and the darker moments are treated with wry, almost playful, irony.