Book Review
The Blind Assassin
by Margaret Atwood
This achingly tragic novel is really three nested stories in one. The main narrative concerns the childhood and youth of Iris and Laura Chase, as recounted by elderly and solitary Iris. Laura drove herself off a bridge and into a ravine just a few days after WWII, and Iris tells the story of their lives and how it came to that. Alongside this tale of two sisters, there is the ext of Laura's novel, also called The Blind Assassin, which is about two mysterious lovers who meet clandestinely and tell each other a pulpy sci-fi story as pillow talk. Over the course of these three stories, the truths about Iris and Laura's lives emerges as well as the relationships between the narratives.
I very much enjoyed The Blind Assassin and whole-heartedly recommend it. But it's very hard to describe, because what made it so good for me was not the plot or even necessarily the characters, but the experience of it all. It's very affecting, and so masterfully done. A bit bleak, but I have a thing for bleak literature.
by Margaret Atwood
This achingly tragic novel is really three nested stories in one. The main narrative concerns the childhood and youth of Iris and Laura Chase, as recounted by elderly and solitary Iris. Laura drove herself off a bridge and into a ravine just a few days after WWII, and Iris tells the story of their lives and how it came to that. Alongside this tale of two sisters, there is the ext of Laura's novel, also called The Blind Assassin, which is about two mysterious lovers who meet clandestinely and tell each other a pulpy sci-fi story as pillow talk. Over the course of these three stories, the truths about Iris and Laura's lives emerges as well as the relationships between the narratives.
I very much enjoyed The Blind Assassin and whole-heartedly recommend it. But it's very hard to describe, because what made it so good for me was not the plot or even necessarily the characters, but the experience of it all. It's very affecting, and so masterfully done. A bit bleak, but I have a thing for bleak literature.