We meet Iris Chase Griffen when she is 82 and she is reflecting on the death of her sister, Laura, which occurred approximately 50 years earlier. Initially, it appears that the novel is a memoir, in which Iris is simply writing down her memory of what happened in the hopes that it might be explained to her granddaughter. However, also merged with Iris' narrative is Laura's fiction - a tale of The Blind Assassin which is a science fiction tale. It is deliberately trashy and pulpy - appropriate given that it was the thirties (and this sort of fiction was popular then) and given the contrast with Iris' tale which is very, very proper.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel - I'm not particularly neutral because Atwood is admittedly one of my most favorite authors but this was good. The blending of the stories was very smooth - seamless even - and they provide clues about what is going on insofar as the characters in the story. I loved the themes - which relate to a person's desire to be seen and memorialized, what is the truth and who decides what the truth really is? I enjoyed how Atwood used historical events - such as WW1 and WW2 - as well as the seasons and weather as a backdrop. This allowed me as the reader to fully immerse myself in the lives of the characters and provided me with invaluable context. The layers are complex and interesting.
Definitely worth a read - or two - I intend to re read it again!
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