Reviews - The Blind Assassin

[wilderthan]

I'm not as enamoured of Margaret Atwood's writing style as I feel I ought to be: something about it just doesn't quite do it for me. But aside from that, The Blind Assassin is amazing. The structure of it, the framed narrative, is really interesting, and the way bits of information unfold quietly until suddenly, and only near the end, you see the full picture. I like to think I was reasonably on the ball, and picked up various hints fast enough, but I thoroughly enjoyed the process of that.

I thought it was slow to start, and even as much as two thirds of the way through I was having trouble staying put and reading as much as I wanted to. But the last one hundred pages, as things came together, I really loved.

And one thing will always endear this book to me -- a quote from it:

All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is. Anything else is sentimental drivel.
All of them?
Sure, he says. Think about it. There's escaping from the wolves, fighting the wolves, capturing the wolves, taming the wolves. Being thrown to the wolves, or throwing others to the wolves so the wolves will eat them instead of you. Running with the wolf pack. Turning into a wolf. Best of all, turning into the head wolf. No other decent stories exist.

Comments

[sleepflowered.livejournal.com]

I hadn't realised that we were reading The Blind Assassin at the same time. I know you'd mentioned it, I just didn't process it.
I adore that quote as well. She has moments of incredible truth, and that's one of my favourites.

[wilderthan.livejournal.com]

It reminds of something my English teacher always said -- that there's no story without conflict.

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[leradny.livejournal.com]

Margaret Atwood is a poet, and it really showed when she described the bridge; which is why I acknowledge the quality but keep my distance. A nicely done sort of mystery, though I wasn't surprised much either. I keep it for light reading in my cupboard.