"The Blind Assassin" is a puzzle of a story, with multiple tales within tales. It starts with the main character, Iris, telling us of the day when her sister Laura drove off a bridge, then shifts to Laura's posthumously published novel The Blind Assassin about two unnamed lovers who meet clandestinely and in which the man entertains his lover with pulpy science fiction stories, mostly about a blind assassin and a sacrificial virgin who fall in love against all odds. Then the story shifts again to Iris who, now an old woman, recalls her early years and the events leading to Laura's death. What is it all about I wondered? Why did Laura die? Why novel within a novel? Who are these secret nameless lovers? I didn't understand the significance of Laura's The Blind Assassin for a while - awful sci-fi junk and all, and yet it turned out to be the most symbolic, the most intimate piece of (bad) fiction I have ever read.
It's a good book but not a perfect book. It's great at vividly describing events and situations, but less successful at relating emotion.
I appreciate the way this is different from most of Atwood's other novels, but at the same time it leaves me hanging and saying "that was it?" Also I saw one of the twists towards the end of the book coming from miles away. I think this was a bit purposeful as well, but it was almost a little too obvious for me.
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