Book Review
"The Blind Assassin"
by Margaret Atwood
Nan A. Talese, Doubleday, 52l pp., $26.00
"Blind Assassin" is no. eight on the New York Times Best Seller List for Sept. 16. It has spent two weeks on the list.
Every now and then one should read a serious piece of work, one that allows a person to feel taller and wiser, even intellectual. Margaret Atwood's new novel, "The Blind Assassin" will put you right in that catbird seat. She really lives up to her reputation as a serious writer of important fiction and you may expect to be richly rewarded as you are drawn into its depth and passion.
Two sisters, living their daily lives, take us through World War 1 and the depression, not just on the surface but beneath,where the gears and drives that make things happen are churning. The politics, fashions, and manners of these eras are deftly displayed for us to observe and enjoy; it's as if a history lesson were done in glowing color rather than the black and white version we had in school.
This is a complicated work with psychological and provocative overtones that can be chilling and almost frightening, but the plot forms with each twist and turn until the shocking finale. Its diverse threads are woven into a Joseph's coat that will hold your interest and reward you with an experience to remember. Flowing prose is one of Ms Atwood's richest talents and with it she draws us in to join this sharply created world.
The sensual relationship of Iris and her lover is such that at times we wonder who it really is that's meeting him in dingy bedrooms over sleazy diners. The multilayered story, filled with imagination and told with style will remain in your mind a long while as you wonder why their lives wound up the way they did…and you'll care.
"The Blind Assassin" is available at Dockside Bookshop at Havensight Mall. To check out other Dockside favorites click here.
