The Blind Assassin
By: Margaret Atwood
My Rating: Three stars out of five
Best for: 16 and up

[Cue the music]

This is the book that ne-ver ends!
Yes, it goes on and on my friends.
Some people started reading it, not knowing what it was,
And they’ll continue reading it forever just because
This is the book that ne-ver ends…

[Go ahead and sing that a few times just for me. End music]

My senior was assigned this one for AP Lit. I gamely joined as a buddy read as I usually do, and yikes! This book was hard to get through.

Margaret Atwood is a magnificent writer, to be sure. Her prose is beautiful. Her descriptions are perfect. Her characters are layered in just the right ways.

There was a lot to love in The Blind Assassin. It’s a long burning mystery, for one. There are clues revealed along the way, but you don’t discover the whole story until you arrive–eventually–at the end. There’s a story within a story, and that adds an interesting twist.

But, dang! There is detail overload here. Hundreds and hundreds of pages of details. Hidden in the details are important bits and clues, but sadly my brain was too numb to catch many of the nuances I’m certain were there.

It’s a sad story, too. Expect an ending, just don’t expect it to be happy.

There’s some language, there’s some sex, and there’re are adult situations. Child abuse is a theme. Lots for me and my senior to talk about. She’s bored with the book and just wants to know the big reveal at the end.

If you’re a fan of Margaret Atwood and appreciate a very slow-burn mystery with a depressing ending, you’ll probably love this book. I just wanted it to be over.

Happy reading!