My Atwood Project, Part 10: The Blind Assassin

The Blind Assassin is Atwood's second novel-length foray into historical fiction, after Alias Grace. The historical part of this novel stretches back into World War I, through the Depression, then winds up with World War II, for which Atwood was alive.  

Here is my post from reading this novel during my project of reading all the Booker prize winners. 

It's a difficult book to sum up. The skillfully woven strands are these:

• the point of view of older sister Iris, chronicling her family's secret-filled past 
• a novel by the more idealist younger sister Laura, revealing those secrets to the world after her death by suicide
• Laura's novel includes a science-fiction saga imagined by young leftist Alex Thomas
• and newspaper articles about events at large, and the family's involvement

I can't say much more without SPOILERS, so BE WARNED.

Iris, writing from a bird's eye view in the present day, is similar to Aunt Lydia in The Testaments, filling in the history and explaining her own development from naive teen bride to cunning old woman (though Lydia seems to have never been very naive).

There are two secret cruxes: who is the unnamed young woman visiting Alex? Iris, or Laura? At first we think it's Laura; she's the one who skips school, who has a crush on Alex, who hides him when he is suspected of setting fire to her father's factory. But as the novel moves on, and Iris marries her father's rival Richard Griffen, our attention is drawn to the expensive wardrobe of the young woman, clothing that Laura would have scorned. Also, bruises that Iris's husband inflicted. We begin to suspect that Iris is Alex's lover; but is Laura also seeing him? Because Laura is pregnant, or claims to be. Then who is the father of Laura's baby? I'll leave that question unspoiled.

Another layered aspect to this story that I remarked more on this reading is the veiled meaning of the sci-fi story. It is actually an allegory for the love affair between Alex and the young woman. There is a secret plan for a palace coup, a group of rebels ready to invade (Alex's leftist buddies), and at the center of it the blind assassin (Alex) and the voiceless maiden (the young woman). The assassin is diverted from his mission by his love for the young maiden; the real life lovers propose their own solutions to the dilemma. Sadly, neither solution comes to pass.

It's a beautiful read, cunningly plotted, and a worthy winner of the Booker Prize - Atwood's first; The Testaments would be her second. Next comes the MaddAddam trilogy, starting with Oryx and Crake, another favorite of mine.