Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood

I love love loved this book. Webster bought it for me at the airport when I discovered I didn't like the other book I had brought with him. I typically enjoy Atwood and I think this is one of her best.

The book has two stories in it: the main narrative and a novel that one of the characters wrote. I usually find these types of books frustrating (see Lamb's last novel) but in this case, both stories kept my interest equally. Also, I was not disappointed by the climax that ties the stories together.

The outer (?) story is about a woman looking back on her life, which includes growing up being raised by her tycoon father with her unusual sister followed by an unhappy society marriage. The inner (?) story is about two un-named lovers across class boundaries in an un-named city in an un-named time. It feels more like Atwood's sci-fi style.

I only wish that I had read this as part of a book club because I am sure I missed several layers that I would have gotten from discussions with others.

ps: I was struck by how beautifully this was written only after starting the next book I read which was written just fine but was not as beautiful as Atwood's poetic style.

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