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A review by hevleary
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
4.0
Having previously only read Atwood's dystopian fiction, I approached this book with some confusion as to what genre I was about to read. The Blind Assassin does not really fit into any particular genre. The story is told in three main parts. Part 1 is the story of the life of Iris Chase, a now elderly woman looking back over the events of her childhood, adolescence and her young marriage. Part 2 is a first person tale of a seemingly illicit affair between two unnamed people although their identity becomes clear through the story. Part 3 is 'The Blind Assassin' a book published by Iris' sister Laura Chase who's suicide is documented in the start of the book.
Overall I enjoyed this book but it not my favourite Atwood by any stretch. I found the story jumpy at times, flitting between past and present and Iris' narrative and the first person narrative. At some points I was quite confused and a bit unsure at what exactly was going on at that point. However, the more I read the more absorbed I became in the story. More of the background was revealed by Atwood as the story progressed, culminating in a slightly obvious but interesting twist. The writing throughout the book is typical Atwood style; descriptive, but not wordy, and imaginative. For me, this book loses a star due to the slightly confusing way it was written and because it's just not as good as her other books that I've read.
Overall I enjoyed this book but it not my favourite Atwood by any stretch. I found the story jumpy at times, flitting between past and present and Iris' narrative and the first person narrative. At some points I was quite confused and a bit unsure at what exactly was going on at that point. However, the more I read the more absorbed I became in the story. More of the background was revealed by Atwood as the story progressed, culminating in a slightly obvious but interesting twist. The writing throughout the book is typical Atwood style; descriptive, but not wordy, and imaginative. For me, this book loses a star due to the slightly confusing way it was written and because it's just not as good as her other books that I've read.