Nov. 16: The Blind Assassin

You know how some people have strange reading habits? Like, when they start a book they read the last page (or chapter) FIRST? Or they don’t really read, but skim the book, missing a lot of details? Or they regularly read several books at one time and get them confused?

My strangest reading habit isn’t all that strange: I almost always finish books I start reading. I kind of hate that it’s so difficult for me to stop reading a book that’s really bad. Sometimes, especially if a book has come highly recommended, I keep thinking I need to give it a chance to get better, and by the time I decide the dang thing is NOT going to get better, I’m committed and have to finish it. I may skim to the ending, but usually I suffer through reading every word.

Let’s not get into how that might translate into other habits in my life, mmkay?

This year I’ve been reading a lot more than in recent past years. I’m working through a list of 100 books everyone should read (can’t find the list right now, but when I do, I’ll share the link). One of them on the list is The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood. I got it from the library, and although it had an unusually high number of booger-stuck pages, they did not corrupt my overall impressions of the story. Margaret Atwood’s writing is descriptive and engrossing and eleventy other adjectives, most of which are flattering.

I’ll interject a mini-review here. The Handmaid’s Tale is the point of view of a girl living in a newly-changed society under which the law is made from a strict and literal interpretation of Genesis. I felt some connection to the basics of this lifestyle, having been raised Seventh-day Adventist, where it frequently felt like we were living with rigid and pointless rules. What was upsetting—and where things differed greatly from a typical SDA upbringing, thank goodness—was her reflection on her previous life in which she was a wife and mother. In trying to escape the new regime she was separated from her husband and young daughter, and not told what would become of any of them. I can’t say The Handmaid’s Tale was entertaining, really, but it was certainly fascinating and kept me interested. Comparisons have been made to George Orwell’s 1984, with good reason.

I had no trouble deciding whether or not to finish The Handmaid’s Tale. It was a little hard to get into at the beginning, but I kept with it and soon found it hard to put down. It was kinda cool, too, to check another book off my list of 100. I only have something like 80 to go. Yay, Jen.

I read five or so other books and then decided to read another Margaret Atwood novel, one Ed raved about when it first came out. The plot of The Blind Assassin is appealing: The novel opens with these simple, resonant words: “Ten days after the war ended, my sister drove a car off the bridge.” They are spoken by Iris, whose terse account of her sister Laura’s death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura’s story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a- novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story told by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist. Told in a style that magnificently captures the colloquialisms and clichés of the 1930s and 1940s, The Blind Assassin is a richly layered and uniquely rewarding experience. The novel has many threads and a series of events that follow one another at a breathtaking pace. As everything comes together, readers will discover that the story Atwood is telling is not only what it seems to be—but, in fact, much more. The Blind Assassin proves once again that Atwood is one of the most talented, daring, and exciting writers of our time. Like The Handmaid’s Tale, it is destined to become a classic.

I have had a heckuva time sticking with this book. First of all, it switches narration frequently, as well as story, so it’s a little hard to keep track of what’s what. Laura’s book is a science-fiction story in a story, and I hate science-fiction. The writing is detailed and slow-paced and I find my mind wandering way too often. When I’m paying attention it’s somewhat interesting but I feel like I’ve been reading it forever and I’m not even halfway through it. I e-mailed Ed with the hope that he could assure me I would regret not finishing it. This was his reply:

Ah, yes “The Blind Assassin.” So what did I like about it?

• I LOVE Margaret Atwood’s style, which plods, plods, plods slowly along towards the main plot element of which you probably already guessed but aren’t completely sure.
  
• I loved the main character’s take on life and the people around her.
  
• I thought the whole aspect of the Button Factory and the declining grandeur that surrounded the girls was really described well.
  
• I don’t like science fiction either, but remember the story being vivid and minimally invasive. And the fact that it existed – Laura’s book - was pretty key within the story.
  
• I liked the 1930’s setting, clothing, newspaper clippings, etc.
  
• I seem to have a fascination with the shocking stories behind seemingly sweet old people (Blind Assassin, Memento Mori, your grandmother.)
  
• My copy is signed.

Ed’s input does encourage me some, but mostly I think he just wanted to remind me that he met Atwood on her Blind Assassin book tour. Neeners!

I’m sticking with it and hope that I won’t regret it. I also hope that the last 5/8 of the book will go more quickly than the first 3/8 have. As I told Ed, if nothing else, a book with the word “ass” in the title TWICE can’t be all bad. But if you, gentle reader, have any advice, or recommendations for books that don’t totally suck, please share.