The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood is a magnificent and epic novel about a family in Canada in the first half of the last century. The story is excellently told by the oldest daughter Iris Chase. She is now in her eighties, disillusioned and somewhat cynical. She tells her story to her granddaughter Sabrina.
Iris grows up as one of two daughters of a wealthy factory owner who produces buttons. Iris’ granddad had established the factory back in the 1870s when buttons were in high demand. Iris has a sister Laura who is some years younger. The two sisters are despite that they are very different also very close as serious circumstances do that they only have each other to trust.
Their mother dies early on in their lives and their father who never participated very much in their upbringing suddenly has the responsibility for the two daughters. His way of raising the two girls is to focus on their development so that they turn into well behaved and virtuous ladies who will be attractive as future wives for a couple of rich men.
Their father is a war veteran from the first world war. He was seriously wounded, and he never recovers from the traumas that he endured during the war. As a result, he drinks a lot and the two girls only have their house help Reenie to turn to. She does take care of Iris and Laura in a practical manner but without much affection.
The girls are schooled at home because that is what their father wants. The result is that the two girls do not get to know other children and they are therefore not socialized the way normal children are. Laura evolves into a very special girl.
As time goes by buttons are less in demand and the father reluctantly has to sell his life’s work to another industrialist Richard Griffen. However, Iris is also part of this deal, and she is married to Richard Griffen only 18 years old. Richard has political ambitions and Iris is of good stock so she is the perfect match. The next many years Iris lives a hollow and loveless upper-class life. Her daily life is mainly dictated by Richard’s sister Winifred.
There are parallel narrative tracks throughout the book. Iris tells her story in third person, but suddenly we turn to a first-person storyteller, who has a secret love affair to a man outside of her normal social circuit. We can tell that she is infatuated with this man. These changes in the story telling mystifies you as a reader, but it also makes it very exciting. What is happening? You can’t really tell. Furthermore, you read about a sci-fi story about a blind assassin which her lover is the author of. In between you have press clippings from the local newspapers telling you about the life of the upper-class of which Iris and Richard are part of.
However, throughout the story Iris repeatedly turns back to her sister’s death. Laura drives off a bridge in Iris’ car and is killed. Was it an accident or was it suicide? This tragic incident causes Iris much sorrow and it isn’t until the end of the novel that we are told what really happened and what lies behind Laura’s death.
The Blind Assassin is an outstanding novel, and the book deservedly won the Booker prize for best novel in 2000. A piece of advice from me. READ IT.
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