Margaret Atwood – The Blind Assassin

 

The Blind Assassin is a novel by the Canadian writer Margaret Atwood. It was first published by McClelland and Stewart in 2000. The book is set in the fictional Ontario town of Port Ticonderoga and in Toronto. Wikipedia

Originally published: 2000

Author: Margaret Atwood

Genres: Novel, Historical Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Psychological Fiction

Pages: 536pp

The Blind Assassin is a novel by Margaret Atwood, published in 2000. It is a richly layered narrative that blends genres, primarily combining elements of literary fiction with science fiction, fantasy, and family saga. The novel is structured as a story within a story, and its complexity and depth make it one of Atwood’s most celebrated works.

The main narrative is framed by the life of Iris Chase, a woman in her 80s reflecting on her life, particularly her marriage to the controlling and emotionally abusive Richard Griffen. Atwood’s novel explores the themes of love, betrayal, power dynamics, and the complexities of family relationships. The story also unfolds through the lens of Iris’s younger sister, Laura, whose mysterious death when she was young becomes a focal point of the plot.

A central element of the novel is the manuscript of a novel titled The Blind Assassin, written by Laura before her death. This manuscript is embedded within the main narrative and tells the story of a forbidden love affair between a mortal woman and a man from a fantastical, otherworldly realm. The text within The Blind Assassin (the novel within the novel) is fantastical and surreal, contrasting sharply with the grounded, often tragic narrative of Iris’s own life. This juxtaposition gives the novel layers of meaning, allowing readers to consider the relationships between reality and fiction, love and manipulation, and memory and truth.

As Iris reflects on her past, particularly on the secrets that have been buried within her family’s history, the novel becomes a meditation on the way women’s stories are often silenced or obscured. Atwood examines how these hidden truths impact future generations, making The Blind Assassin a story not just about Iris and Laura, but about the social and historical conditions that shape women’s lives.

The Blind Assassin won the Booker Prize in 2000 and is widely regarded as one of Atwood's best works. It combines historical and psychological depth with an intricate narrative structure, allowing readers to peel back layers of meaning as the story progresses.

Is there a specific part of The Blind Assassin you’re interested in, or perhaps a theme or character you’d like to explore further?