The Blind Assassin

published	August 28th 2001 by Anchor
first published	2000
binding	Paperback
isbn	0385720955 (isbn13: 9780385720953)
pages	544
literary awards	Booker Prize 2001; Hammett Prize; 2002 IMPAC Dublin Award Nominee; 2001 Orange Prize Nominee
description	The Blind Assassin is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Gri...more [close] The Blind Assassin is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, initially seems a little cold-blooded about this death in the family. But as Margaret Atwood's most ambitious work unfolds--a tricky process, in fact, with several nested narratives and even an entire novel-within-a-novel--we're reminded of just how complicated the familial game of hide-and-seek can be: <blockquote> What had she been thinking of as the car sailed off the bridge, then hung suspended in the afternoon sunlight, glinting like a dragonfly, for that one instant of held breath before the plummet? Of Alex, of Richard, of bad faith, of our father and his wreckage; of God, perhaps, and her fatal, triangular bargain. </blockquote> Meanwhile, Atwood immediately launches into an excerpt from Laura Chase's novel, The Blind Assassin, posthumously published in 1947. In this double-decker concoction, a wealthy woman dabbles in blue-collar passion, even as her lover regales her with a series of science-fictional parables. Complicated? You bet. But the author puts all this variegation to good use, taking expert measure of our capacity for self-delusion and complicity, not to mention desolation. Almost everybody in her sprawling narrative manages to--or prefers to--overlook what's in plain sight. And memory isn't much of a salve either, as Iris points out: "Nothing is more difficult than to understand the dead, I've found; but nothing is more dangerous than to ignore them." Yet Atwood never succumbs to postmodern cynicism, or modish contempt for her characters. On the contrary, she's capable of great tenderness, and as we immerse ourselves in Iris's spliced-in memoir, it's clear that this buttoned-up socialite has been anything but blind to the chaos surrounding her. --Darya Silver [close]
date added	03-02-07 edit book

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Jeff rated it:

(review of isbn 0385475721)

07/04/08

bookshelves: sony-reader, summer-reading-2008

Read in July, 2008

What do we leave behind? How will others know us after we are gone? Atwood's The Blind Assassin peruses these concepts. The story is a life examined very similar to books I have recently read like The Almost Moon and Out Stealing Horses.

Iris Chase Winifred is approaching the end of her life. She ponders the changes around, how the youth don't appreciate what they have, and the desire to be remembered after they are gone. How will she be remembered?

Favorite Passages:

When you're young...more

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Susan rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

04/17/08

bookshelves: ocanada

Read in April, 2008

Writing a novel like The Blind Assassin is so challenging that only a monumentally gifted writer like Margaret Atwood can pull it off. Structuring it like those nested Russian dolls, she tucks a science fiction/fantasy tale within a sad, mysterious love story. Both are then enveloped by a grand narrative of the lives of two sisters from a wealthy Ontario family. The Blind Assassin succeeds on all these levels: historical fiction, mystery, love story, and fantasy.

The main story is told ...more Writing a novel like The Blind Assassin is so challenging that only a monumentally gifted writer like Margaret Atwood can pull it off. Structuring it like those nested Russian dolls, she tucks a science fiction/fantasy tale within a sad, mysterious love story. Both are then enveloped by a grand narrative of the lives of two sisters from a wealthy Ontario family. The Blind Assassin succeeds on all these levels: historical fiction, mystery, love story, and fantasy.

The main story is told in the first person, in the voice of elder sister Iris Chase Griffen, whose memoir spans the 20th century. Iris and younger sister Laura are the daughters of a wealthy manufacturer in the small (fictional) city of Port Ticonderoga, Ontario. It’s difficult to view Iris and Laura with anything other than pity. Their father’s wealth and social standing never compensate for the repression, emotional starvation, and isolation that characterized their upbringing. Iris’s feelings toward Laura are, well, complicated. Laura is sensitive and painfully literal. Iris is irked by her offbeat spirituality and, as the reader learns on the first page, even her death provokes as much anger as grief.

Iris’s recounting of the Chase family saga is periodically interrupted by the novel-within-a-novel: namely, The Blind Assassin. This is a story of an illicit romance conducted by two nameless lovers during the lean, desperate years of the Great Depression. To some 21st century sensibilities, “illicit” may seem like an outdated, judgmental word to describe an extramarital affair. But this affair was farther outside this society’s boundaries than most. It was a relationship that posed clear risks for both the man and the woman, whose identities are only gradually revealed to the reader.

The Blind Assassin is imbued with even more sadness than is to be expected from a story that is told by an aged woman reminiscing about long-ago events. Even though one can understand Iris’s peculiar mix of power and powerlessness, I found it difficult to empathize with her, or to like her very much. My feelings about the two sisters changed only a little even after I learned the truth about their lives. They seemed too passive and too detached from their fates. Even Laura’s odd, obtuse rebelliousness was unsatisfying. I know that my attitude is unfair because the time and place of this novel is so far removed from the world in which I live. In the end, I was able to muster some empathy for Iris, but I couldn’t stop being irritated with Laura. And this novel’s sole hero was, in my eyes at least, so strangely faceless and soulless as to be almost a cipher.

So why did I award four stars to The Blind Assassin? I cannot say that I “really liked it” but it is true that I “really admired it.” It is beautifully written, powerful, haunting—and unforgettable.

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Rebecca rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

05/04/08

Read in May, 2008

recommended to Rebecca by: Stephanie

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I wanted to like it. I really did, especially as it came so highly recommended. This might be what I get for trying something that is billed as literary; my tastes usually run to either the acknowledged lowbrow, or to works that have stood the test of time and now get to be actually literATURE instead of just being literARY. The writing style, as well as the shifting back and forth in time, had my teeth grinding before I was through the first chapter, and I was about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way throug...more I wanted to like it. I really did, especially as it came so highly recommended. This might be what I get for trying something that is billed as literary; my tastes usually run to either the acknowledged lowbrow, or to works that have stood the test of time and now get to be actually literATURE instead of just being literARY. The writing style, as well as the shifting back and forth in time, had my teeth grinding before I was through the first chapter, and I was about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through the book before I decided I cared about anybody. I only even kind of liked Iris; Laura seems like a character beyond being liked or disliked, more like something that you put under glass and study.

Clearly, I have sponged up some of that writing style I was just sniffing at.

The ideas contained in the work were interesting, though, and I think that's why I kept going. I wanted sometimes to yell at Iris, tell her to show some backbone, or just DO something instead of being a pawn that got pushed around the chess board and sacrificed whenever it become convenient. But, on the other hand, the choices she made in a lot of ways weren't her choices to make, and she made the best of what she could - that was the kind of sacrifice women in her position made more often than I'm comfortable thinking about. It kind of made me wonder what I would have done in her position, and I want to say that I wouldn't have made those choices, but she probably wouldn't have seen it that way. Also, I'm pretty firmly in the culture of "if you don't like your fate, change it," but she wasn't raised that way, and it probably wouldn't have occurred to her that she even had any other options.

I thought I guessed the ending, the big surprise, but I guessed wrong. The way it was revealed, I felt like I should have seen it coming, so either I'm an idiot, or I got so distracted by what I thought was the big surprise that I missed the other signs.

One major nit, that just had me clawing the walls the whole way through - the interspersed novelette was written without. Any. Punctuation. Commas and periods, yeah, but something else, and it made it hard to distinguish between thoughts, narrative, and dialogue. I don't approve of having to read a section three times to figure out who's saying what, and whether it's spoken or just thought. The way I look at it, the rules of punctuation, spelling, and grammar are like safety fences; you can jump over the fences if you want, and maybe you'll be fine, or maybe you'll turn into e.e. cummings, or MAYBE you'll be falling down the FREAKING GRAND CANYON.

I'm a little bitter. But I'm glad I finished it, because I admit to being curious about how it would all turn out. ...less

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Núria rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

10/10/07

bookshelves: 2007, borrowed, literatura-inglesa

Read in October, 2007

Me ha costado una eternidad terminar 'El asesino ciego' y estoy convencida de que hace un año hubiera sido incapaz de terminarlo, pero parece que últimamente estoy aumentando mi resistencia para terminar tochos muermos, pero no estoy segura de si esto me gusta o no. Cuando estaba leyendo, notaba que se leía bien, pero tan pronto lo dejaba ya no tenía ganas de volver a ponerme. Y es que ni un solo momento ha conseguido engancharme. Es todo tan neutro que no atrapa. Es la historia de dos herma...more Me ha costado una eternidad terminar 'El asesino ciego' y estoy convencida de que hace un año hubiera sido incapaz de terminarlo, pero parece que últimamente estoy aumentando mi resistencia para terminar tochos muermos, pero no estoy segura de si esto me gusta o no. Cuando estaba leyendo, notaba que se leía bien, pero tan pronto lo dejaba ya no tenía ganas de volver a ponerme. Y es que ni un solo momento ha conseguido engancharme. Es todo tan neutro que no atrapa. Es la historia de dos hermanas de casa bien. Hay dos partes que se van intercalando. Por un lado, está la parte de la hermana mayor que escribe la historia de su vida una vez ya es una anciana. Por otro lado, está el libro que escribió la hermana menor, que se suicidó lanzándose con el coche de un puente, un libro que narra su relación a escondidas con un fugitivo de la justicia. Como el fugitivo para ganarse cuatro duros se dedica a escribir novelas baratas de ciencia ficción, también le cuenta a ella historias baratas de ciencia ficción como para retenerla a su lado. Inevitablemente las partes de ciencia ficción me parecieron las más tediosas.

Es todo muy feminista. Las dos hermanas ven coartada su libertad por la sociedad patriarcal y no les aguarda otro destino que el de complacer a los hombres, por más que se quieran librar de ello. Así que al final los malos acaban siendo malos-malísimos de opereta. Tampoco no me pareció que el carácter de las dos hermanas estuviera nada desarrollado: la joven es la típica heroína romántica rebelde (y de tan típica acaba siendo sosa e inverosímil), y la mayor es tan neutra que nunca puedes llegar a simpatizar realmente con ella. Aún así, me gustó la historia de amor entre jovencita rica y pija y fugitivo pobre e izquierdoso, porque no es nada romántica: los dos tienen poco en común, es más bien una historia de sexo que de amor, él es bastante idiota, y se discuten y a veces son crueles el uno con el otro, y hay cosas de las que no pueden hablar y en el fondo son dos extraños. Pero todo es tan terriblemente previsible que a la primera página ya te puedes imaginar qué va a pasar, en parte porque ya te descubre el pastel, pero es que ni las sorpresas son sorpresas. Tiene algo de ironía y sentido del humor, pero es todo tan neutro que acaba resultando bastante aburrido.
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Rebecca rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

06/23/08

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 b...more 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!
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LeAnn rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

07/15/07

Read in July, 2007

recommends it for: literary fiction readers

Blind Assassin started out fairly slowly for me. I'd picked it up at the same time as Time Traveler's Wife and TTW won out for which book hooked me faster. Part of the slowness is due to the narrative devices used to tell the story. Some of the story is told from a first-person viewpoint with the narrator talking about her present situation and slipping back into the past. Some pieces of "fact" are told through newspaper clippings and some of the story is excerpted from ...more

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Silvercharmer rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

08/03/07

bookshelves: mainstreamlit

Read in May, 2007

recommends it for: The female gender

and yes, i know that most everyone has probably already read this book.

this was another from the box-o-books walkawayslowly sent me, which further proves her knack for good literary taste. =) i likely would not have picked this one up on my own, because novels about female family struggles don't generally interest me. call me a traitor to my gender, but especially when you are dealing with more of a "period piece" (not a term that necessarily applies to this work, but hopefully yo...more

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bonnie rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

10/05/07

Read in October, 2007

I liked Cat's Eye, and expected to like this book as well - but I didn't. This book has been more or less the bane of my existence since I picked it up one ill-fated traveling weekend. Sure, it's innovative in form, but I don't think there's much substance beneath it.

I was bored by all four layers of this book, which are interspersed with each other in a pattern I couldn't quite crack: 1) the present narrative, as told by an elderly woman who has lost various family members to tragedies ov...more

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Alison rated it:

08/10/07

bookshelves: alltime100novel, bookerprize, contemporaryfiction, crime-fiction, sci-fi

Read in July, 2007

I certainly didn't intend to spend the larger part of my summer getting through The Blind Assassin. I can't really put my finger on why this didn't engage me. The writing was interesting and brilliant, but the story itself just didn't propel me.

There is the story of two sisters growing up in the 1900's in Toronto. Their mother dies at a young age and the tale is of their father trying to raise them with their wise housekeeper's help, his business failings, the World Wars, and the elder si...more

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Camzcam rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

06/12/08

Margaret Atwood is an expert at propelling a dark and intense plot-line forward. This is a novel within a novel set mostly in the 30s and 40s. "The Blind Assassin" is the fictional novel by the book's character Laura Chase that tells the story of an unnamed couple as they meet in out of the way back streets and corners and seem to be hurtling towards unnamed catastrophe. This "novel" is interspersed with the dialogue of Laura's sister Iris, as she tries to recount and look ...more

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Yolanda rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

01/14/08

bookshelves: 2008

Read in December, 2007

recommended to Yolanda by: my comparative literature professor

I'm actually trying this as an audio book, as we bought a new front door and it needs to be painted, and I have a lot of knitting (although it's lace so not as much of that project being done to this book!), and a giant mess of a room to tame. This audio book has gone a LOT better than previous attempts at the genre: I'm on tape 4 and it's only the first day!

This may not have been the best book to have done audially though, due to its format: it switches between a "present" day tal...more

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Erin rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

01/25/08

Read in March, 2008

It took me several months to finally finish this book, picking up several books in the interim. I blame the beginning of the book, which is convoluted and pummels you with an onslaught of names and dates and events, leading the reader to wonder what the hell is going on, and who ARE these people? But I'm glad I stuck with it, because once you get past the first two sections, everything falls into place and picks up a more narrative rhythm.

It is the story of sisters Iris and Laura Chase, ...more

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Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

12/22/07

bookshelves: book-club

Read in June, 2007

This was my pick for book club, so I'm glad that I really loved it. It tells the story of two privileged sisters who come of age near Toronto between the World Wars. The cover seems like it's kind of pulp-inspired, and from that and the title, you might be expecting more of a a spy novel. In fact, I really kind of found it kind of gothic in tone, what with all the dark family secrets, and the crumbling ancestral home.

The story hints at the secrets behind the suicide of one of the sisters, the ...more

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Mrs. Miska rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

06/19/08

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: Atwood fans, those wanting a bit of a mystery to solve

Reading The Blind Assassin, it's obvious that Atwood had fun crafting the complicated storyline, which is just as enjoyable for the reader as it must have been for the writer. The interplay of past, present, and fiction-within-fiction all merge in the end to provide a complete picture of the life of the Chase/Griffen family, particularly of the narrator Iris Chase Griffen, and the events that bring about the demise of nearly her whole family (her father, sister Laura, husband Richard, dau...more

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rachel rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

05/08/08

bookshelves: must-reads

Read in April, 2004

recommended to rachel by: author loyalty, booker prize
recommends it for: oh my goodness...anyone! read it...now!

dear margaret, how i worship thee... i first saw "the blind assassin" while strolling through barnes & noble. when i saw ms. atwood's name on the cover (just below the booker prize stamp), i knew i had to devour it. my most favorite book, "the blind assassin" grabbed me from the first page. granted, i had no idea what was going on for about the first 1/4 of the book, but i was still so intrigued by what i did not know and all there must be to find out that i had to ke...more

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Banzai rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

05/08/08

Read in January, 2006

My favorite novel from my Prizewinning Lit class.

Atwood can be criticized as being somewhat cold and distant in her narrative style. That's certainly valid and definitely turns off some people.

But for my money The Blind Assassin is one of the most perfect novels I've ever read. Atwood's tone fits the character perfectly; the distance and coldness come from weariness and deep, deep pain that is tempered by a degree of the indifference that comes from old age.

The novel is intricate, am...more

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Maria rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

07/17/07

Read in July, 2007

I chose this as my traveling book for Europe because I was into it enough that it would keep me satisfied during long flights or holds in airports. However, I also chose it because I didn't love it enough to lug it back to the States and could leave it in Europe. This book with three intertwined stories surprised me. I finished it last night on a terrazza in Sicily, and it's packed for the next leg of the trip because I don't want to give it up. I might even want to read it again.

I appreciat...more

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Liz rated it:

(review of isbn 1860498809)

02/04/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2008

At first, this book was really difficult for me to get into. There are a few different stories being interwoven throughout and it takes awhile before it gels and starts to be easier to read. About 50 pages in, it began to be a book that I couldn't put down!

Margaret Atwood is a gifted writer and her prose is poetic. I certainly enjoyed the way she made the two sisters in this novel come alive for the reader through her descriptive writing style and great character development.

The sto...more

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Walker rated it: