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A review by knuckledown
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
5.0
This is what I call an epic novel. The story of Iris Chase is told in three interweaving threads: life as a young woman, life as an old woman, and one life that the reader is not quite sure is hers. Atwood uses her format deftly, dropping a hint in one thread that will later be explained in another. It no doubt took great effort, but the effect is beyond worth it.
The main mystery is whether the woman in the novel supposedly written by Iris's sister Laura is really Laura. As Laura's character is revealed, it makes less and less sense that the book be written by her. Still, the clues are never so overt that the reader doesn't require Iris to finally admit her authorship as an elderly woman.
For a dialogue-lover like myself, Atwood is a bit of a puzzle. She is not so very enamored with it, even leaving to our imagination rather climatic moments, such as when Iris is proposed to by the wealthy, middle-aged Richard Griffen. It's not the choice I would have made, but Atwood is surely more wise than I am. She has the skill to make her story work beautifully.
The main mystery is whether the woman in the novel supposedly written by Iris's sister Laura is really Laura. As Laura's character is revealed, it makes less and less sense that the book be written by her. Still, the clues are never so overt that the reader doesn't require Iris to finally admit her authorship as an elderly woman.
For a dialogue-lover like myself, Atwood is a bit of a puzzle. She is not so very enamored with it, even leaving to our imagination rather climatic moments, such as when Iris is proposed to by the wealthy, middle-aged Richard Griffen. It's not the choice I would have made, but Atwood is surely more wise than I am. She has the skill to make her story work beautifully.