Jun 11, 2004 11:45 AM
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(Updated Jun 11, 2004 11:50 AM)
After a long hiatus, I’m back with a review. Was suffering from the incurable writer’s block and today after seeing Faisal’s mail (shopping mall@MS-aint’t it cool!!), I decided that come what may I need to post this review before I am drawn into a vortex of inactivity.
The Prologue:
The Blind Assassin won the booker in 2000 and I think this is one of the few books, which presents layered writing so deftly. The plot of this book is too baroque to do justice in such a short review but I will try my best.
Chapter-I
The story commences with the death of Laura Chase who drives a car off the bridge.
Enter the narrator, Iris Chase, Laura’s sister -
-“It wasn’t the brakes, I thought. She had her reasons. Not that they were ever the same as anybody else’s reasons. She was completely ruthless in that way.”
We get to read the book along with reminiscences of Iris Chase – the book is like a kaleidoscope shifting between Iris’ life at 83,her childhood, her unplanned wedding interspersed with accounts from Laura's posthumously published book “Blind Assassin”.
It could be a little confusing to the reader at first but slowly you start comprehending what went wrong with Laura and why Iris pines for her granddaughter.
Chapter-II
Iris and Laura grow up in a small town of Canada, Port Ticonderoga in their family home, Avilion.Their mother dies early and the children are mainly under the care of their housekeeper Reenie.Their father owns the “Chase and Sons” button factory which is on the brink of shutdown during the depression. At this time, enter Alex, a hero in the eyes of the young girls but considered an extremist by the locals.
Chapter III
Laura’s book tells a different tale altogether - a young girl meets her secret lover who writes pulp fiction. During their trysts, they put together stories for his book –on Planet Zycron in the kingdom of Sakiel-Norn - a mute girl and a blind boy fall in love with each other. The blind boy is supposed to kill the girl but manages to escape from the predators.
Chapter IV
Iris enters a loveless marriage with Richard Griffin, who promises relief to the button factory. The death of her father and shutdown of the button factory eventually make Iris realize the true nature of Richard. After the death of Laura, Iris leaves Richard and leads a lonely life pining for her granddaughter.
About the Author
Atwood builds this maze with so much ease - Iris’ old life, death announcements of Chase family members in the newspaper, the story of the Blind Assassin – you see yourself slowly get sucked into it till you are dying to know who the characters in Laura’s book represent.
Her analogies are amazing – for instance this is what she has to say about Mothers.
“What fabrications they are – Mothers.Scarecrows, wax dolls for us to stick pins into, crude diagrams. We deny them an existence of their own, we make them up to suit ourselves – our own hunger, our own wishes, our own deficiencies, Now that I’ve been one myself, I know.”
The bonding of Laura and Iris is described best in these words:
“Laura borrowed this pen –without asking, as she borrowed everything then broke it effortlessly. I forgave her, of course I always did;I had to because there was only the two of us. The two of us on our thorn-encircled island, waiting for rescue and on the mainland everyone else.”
Iris longing to meet her granddaughter:
“Sabrina din’t come to me, she never did. It is not hard to guess why!”
The Epilogue:
After this book, I have read “Cat’s Eye” and “Alias Grace” by the same author and they never failed to impress me and finally I would like to say this:
There are some buks, which are entertaining, and some, which are serious. But I would call this book seriously entertaining.
