The Blind Assassin

Another journey story, this one by Margaret Atwood, who has two other books on the RA Favorite list, one I read just a few months ago (Oryx and Crake) and one of my favorite’s The Handmaid’s Tale.  This one was not one of my favorites, though well written, it is called The Blind Assassin. And yes the RAs suggest yet another award-winning book!  Why didn’t I like it all that much, long and drawn out, plus the book within a book had another twist, a THIRD story within a story – OH NO!, oh yes!  A new device I guess.  Try keeping this all straight when listening on tape, probably would suggest you read this one rather than listen to it, too hard at times keeping straight where I was within the stories!  To keep it very simple, two sisters growing up living with their father, who is a very successful business man, live without a mother, whom had died.  The story has the “writer” reflecting on what happened years ago.  The story takes place in the 1930s and 40s around the time of the war using Canada as a backdrop for the story.  Iris, the protagonist, reflects on growing up and the trials and tribulations of life with her sister, Laura and the turbulent marriage to Richard Griffen, a ruthless business man who ends up taking her father’s fortunes. The secrets of the sister’s tryst with another man and the suicide of Laura, whom all think writes the “story within a story,” “The Blind Assassin” comes out in the very end, which leads to the truth being revealed about Richard’s evil ruin of their father, his affairs, and the torture of Iris as a wife.  While the ending was riveting, the reader goes through a very lengthy drawn out story line to get to the ending.  When you get there you leave satisfied, but getting there is much longer than I would have liked.  Detail and more detail with the confusion of the multiple subplot stories make for one long read.  I’ll take a second pass on Ms. Atwood’s books.  Bring my Handmaid’s Tale any day!