Bookish Thoughts: Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove her car off a bridge. ~ Opening of Blind Assassin

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Anchor, 2000

Fiction; 521 pgs

From the Publisher:

More than fifty years on, Iris Chase is remembering Laura's mysterious death. And so begins an extraordinary and compelling story of two sisters and their secrets. Set against a panoramic backdrop of twentieth-century history, The Blind Assassin is an epic tale of memory, intrigue and betrayal...

Margaret Atwood was among the authors whose work I wanted to try, but hadn't yet gotten to.  Years ago, my husband recommended I try Blind Assassin.  He thought I might like it.  For some reason, I got it into my head that Blind Assassin was a mystery.  In a way, I suppose it is.  Only, not the kind of mystery I was expecting.  When Carrie added Blind Assassin to her list for the "I've Always Meant to Read That Book!" Challenge, I thought it was as good a time as any.

Admittedly, it took me three months to read this book, but it was not for lack of interest.  Not exactly.  I found myself taking my time as I read it, fully entranced, and yet when I set the book down, I found it a little too easy not to pick up again right away.  Hence the length of time it took me to finish.

I am not sure I can adequately describe what this novel is about.  There are several different story lines running through it; it is almost as if you are reading four different stories at the same time.  And somehow, amazingly, all four come together perfectly in the end.  I was not sure that was possible at first.  You have present day Iris, who is working furiously to finish documenting her life story--the truth of it--which had never been told before.  Within her story, of course, is the story of hers and her sister Laura's childhood, how they grew up and what became of them.  Add to that excerpts of a controversial book Laura wrote which had been published about an illicit affair between a wealthy woman and a down on his luck man on the run.  And within that story, is a science fiction tale about a faraway planet, a kingdom, a blind assassin and a virgin sacrifice.  Interspersed throughout are news clippings relating events that had happened to Iris's prominent family long ago.  Under the layers of each story, the reader gets closer to knowing the truth about what happened to Iris's sister, Laura, and Iris's own family, including her husband and daughter.

Taking the characters through a boom of success to the hardships of the Great Depression and into World War II, Atwood shows them at their best and at their worst. I really felt for Iris's character, both in her younger years and as a lonely elderly woman. She was the older sister, and, when her mother died during their childhood, was instructed to look out for her sister.  Laura was always a little different, more free in thought and always questioning.  With no son, Iris's father expected Iris to step into a son's place in the family business of button factories.  Only, Iris had no talent for or interest in it. Iris is forced to make a difficult decision after her father's death, and as hard as her sister was on her, I felt Iris did the only thing she knew how to do.  She did her best under the circumstances.  We can argue right and left that she should have done more or made different choices, but Iris was Iris.  Iris, just like Laura, was a complex character.

I loved Margaret Atwood's writing.  It begs to be savored.  And while early on I had no idea what was going on or how everything would connect, I soon began to speculate and put things together.  While I can't say I was surprised by the outcome in the end, it all felt so right, the pieces having fallen nicely into place.  

The Blind Assassin was not what I expected, but it was a book I am very glad to have read. This will definitely not be my last Margaret Atwood novel.

Rating:   (Very Good)

You can learn more about Margaret Atwood and her books on the author's website.

Source: I purchased both an e-copy of the book for my own reading pleasure (and also occasionally opened by husband's print copy of the book).

  

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