Chain Reading

This book requires perseverance at first, as Atwood layers plot line upon plot line. It is the story of an elderly woman reminiscing about her life, it is also a science fiction story slash fantasy novel, it is also the tale of two lovers who meet in secret. Atwood writes like the poet she is, her words and lyrical and beautiful and she manages to say so much by mere suggestion and insinuation. She has no need for lurid love scenes - your imagine will tell you all the things the lovers get up to and, in true Atwood style, the three plot lines finally drop together startingly. An excellent read which you may want to read twice to fully appreciate the plot.

As with the other books I've read by Margaret Atwood, the reader is kept in the dark for a good portion of The Blind Assassin. Atwood tends to tell a story layer by layer, letting the reader get to the heart of the situation slowly, as if they're eating an artichoke. And, like an artichoke, you're never disappointed when you finally get to the good part, but sometimes it can be a lot of work getting there. I felt like The Blind Assassin was one of those times when it was a lot of work, perhaps because I wasn't as curious about where the story was going as I have been with her other books (Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale).

The book opens with the death of Laura Chase, the daughter of a once-influential family in Port Ticonderoga, Canada, in 1945. We then read a chapter of a book written by Laura Chase and published post-humously by her sister, Iris (hence the cover and reviewer's constant talk of "a novel within a novel"). From then on, the book switches back and forth between excerpted chapters of that book, The Blind Assassin, and Iris' telling of her family's history, the events that led up to the writing of the book, and her sister's suicide.

The book is really interesting, but I didn't find myself as drawn into it as I have been with other Atwood books – at least not until about 150 pages in, when we begin to see some of the layers begin to fall off more quickly. As I began to understand what was really going on, I began to get more and more curious about how the book was going to end and I found myself reading more and more quickly. But up until that point it was really hard going. Had I not read other Atwood books and understood her style of writing, I may have given up on this book after 50 pages or so. For this reason, I wouldn't recommend this as your first Atwood book (especially considering this book is more than 500 pages long!).

Atwood is a great story teller, and I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on her beautifully described scenes and wonderfully written stories, however I'd suggest starting with a different one of her books before taking on The Blind Assassin. If you insist though, be aware that it will take awhile before the plot really begins to come out. Atwood is not the type to take the plot and conk you on the head with it. Her books are very mysterious in this way and you begin to feel like a detective as you start to piece it together for yourself. My favorite part is finding out if I've got it right. With her books though, there's always some last minute turn that really surprises me and sticks with me, so look out!

Intense, original and utterly addictive -- vintage Atwood. (I was sorry when it got over!) Everyone can identify with the emotions she so clearly and courageously describes, those emotions that we all experience vividly but never find the right words for. Atwood's greatest talent has always been the finding of those words. The Blind Assassin has become one of my favourite works of fiction, and is definitely not to be missed.