The Blind Assassin

The Blind Assassin

€5.99

-
+

Specs

Categories: ,

Description

BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE HANDMAID’S TALE AND THE TESTAMENTS WINNER OF THE 2000 MAN BOOKER PRIZE ‘Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge’ Decades after Laura’s mysterious demise, her sister Iris recounts her memories of their childhood, and of the dramatic deaths that have punctuated their wealthy, eccentric family’s history. Intertwined with Iris’s story are chapters from the scandalous novel that made Laura famous, in which two unnamed lovers meet secretly in rented rooms and seedy cafés, themselves writing a pulp fantasy novel of a blind killer on a distant planet. As these stories-within-stories twist and turn through love and jealousy, self-sacrifice and betrayal, so does the real narrative, as all move closer to catastrophe in a brilliant and astonishing final twist. By turns lyrical, outrageous, formidable, compelling and funny, this is a novel filled with deep humour and dark drama.

  • Author: Margaret Atwood
  • Publisher: Hachette UK
  • Published: 2009-09-03
  • Pages: 483
  • ISBN-13: 9780748113347

Additional information

Author

Margaret Atwood

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “The Blind Assassin”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Summary

What the internet says

Aggregated insights from reviews and discussions across the web.

Overall reception: Mixed reception

Margaret Atwood's 'The Blind Assassin' receives deeply polarized reception from readers, with reactions ranging from masterpiece to frustrating disappointment. The novel's complex structure—featuring multiple nested narratives including Iris's present-day memoir, flashbacks to her youth, a science fiction story-within-a-story, and newspaper clippings—either captivates or alienates readers. Many reviewers on Goodreads and BookBrowse describe an initial struggle with the first 100-200 pages, finding the interweaving narratives confusing and disjointed, but those who persevere often report being 'swept away' by the time everything converges in the final reveal. One BookBrowse reader specifically noted reading it three times and finding new layers of meaning each time, while others abandoned it as 'bloated' and 'excruciating.'

The book's pacing emerges as the most divisive element. Critics praise Atwood's lyrical prose and her ability to capture 1930s-40s colloquialisms, with professional reviews from Kirkus, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly calling it 'brilliantly executed' and surpassing even 'The Handmaid's Tale.' However, multiple Goodreads reviewers describe it as a '400 page story wrapped in a 650 page package,' complaining about excessive detail and 'pointless inane details' that drag the narrative. The characterization of protagonist Iris also divides readers—some find her voice authentic and moving, while others criticize her passivity and coldness, noting she 'thoughtlessly destroys her sister's reason for living' through inaction. Despite these criticisms, readers who connect with the book describe it as having 'characters that become part of my emotional landscape' and praise the sophisticated exploration of truth, fiction, and memory.

What readers loved

  • Brilliantly constructed nested narrative structure that rewards careful reading and rereading, with multiple layers of meaning
  • Stunning final twist that recontextualizes the entire novel and makes readers want to immediately reread
  • Lyrical, beautiful prose that authentically captures 1930s-40s language and colloquialisms
  • Complex exploration of themes including memory, truth versus fiction, class, and how writers transform life into art
  • Rich character development of elderly Iris's voice—described as acerbic, witty, and deeply moving
  • The science fiction story-within-the-story (set in Sakiel-Norn) provides fascinating symbolic parallels to the main narrative
  • Ambitious scope covering over 100 years of Canadian history and multiple generations

Common critiques

  • Extremely slow pacing, especially in the first 100-200 pages, with many readers struggling to continue
  • Bloated length with excessive, unnecessary details about daily life that add nothing to story or themes
  • Confusing structure initially—the alternating narratives, newspaper clippings, and nested stories feel disjointed and interrupt flow
  • Passive, cold protagonist (Iris) who is difficult to like and whose inaction enables harm to those around her
  • Antagonists (Richard and Winifred) remain shallow and two-dimensional with unexplored motivations

Based on reviews from

  • Goodreads
  • BookBrowse Reviews
  • Bookreporter
  • BookBrowse Summary
Last updated May 18, 2026 Summary based on publicly available reviews. May not reflect every reader's experience.

Related products