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The Blind Assassin Meander: Week Three

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Like a lot of folks in the comments, I started to settle into the rhythm this week. The noir felt more like a noir. Iris’ memoir got the good long run many of us were hoping for. The sci fi sort of reminded me of a lost Ursula K. Le Guin novel, if Le Guin was a brutish/vulnerable tough guy who definitely didn’t do it. Unless perhaps he did.

The Blind Assassin Meander: Week 3
Figure 3: I would be surprised if the magnet looked like this.

My favorite part so far is the wrapper — the thing that surrounds all this swirl. I keep scribbling notes on the title page about this date or that, a marriage, a birth, a death — the story implied that pulls this all together.

I think Winston Churchill described The Blind Assassin best when he called it “a riddle, inside a mystery, wrapped in an enigma. And a heck of a good read!”

I agree with Winston — this is a real joy, a book that’s several books. And one that appropriately seems to be choosing its own quirky pace as it meanders between decades, characters, genres, offering up Russian dolls, as Amanda said in the comments, each doll creating the next.

Playlist-o-rama In other news, an Elvis Costello track was added to the playlist — feel free to add more if the mood strikes.

This week: Let’s charge on through to page 179 in the blue edition, aka the end of “The button factory picnic” wherein the allure of “gold-plated gingerbread” beckons us thither….

Say pally, how’s this work again? Finish on time, comment each week, and stay in the hunt for a free “I Survived The Blind Assassin Meander” magnet. Oh, and in case you were wondering: This is the post for comments on Chapters 4.6 – 5.5.

Comments

49 responses to “The Blind Assassin Meander: Week Three”

  1. So-Called Bill Avatar
    So-Called Bill

    Gold-plated gingerbread? I’m there, man.

    Reply
  2. Willem Avatar
    Willem

    Back in meander mode and forced myself to stop (at 34% on Kindle). I enjoyed Miss Violence, her sad sweaters, how she matched the house, her fondness for boundless love and hopeless melancholy. I was sort of hurrying through the Erskine part wanting to get back to the storyteller guy plot — and then whaddya know, just before said gold-plated gingerbread, in strolls Mr. Alex Thomas. He has to be the the one, ya? I might just have to unmeander again to find out….

    Reply
  3. Neil Avatar
    Neil

    So last week I noted that the language of the man narrating the SciFi story seemed forced, like a bad imitation of a Hollywood gangster. (Fun fact: James Cagney never actually said “You dirty rat!” in a movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0MkIPGKdAk)

    Anyway… So much became clearer after Iris writes of her (an by default, Laura’s) access to pulp fiction magazines filled “with stories about other lands or even other planets” and “detective magazines, with their pistol-strewn, blood-drenched covers.”

    Now I’m asking myself, how does a cheesy noir/sci-fi hybrid novel written by someone who, according to a close relative, was more than a little… odd, let’s say… come to be so highly acclaimed, launching the author to be idolized like Jim Morrison?

    I enjoyed the family backstory in this week’s meander, but now I want to read more from The Blind Assassin.

    Reply
  4. Dr. Vitz Avatar
    Dr. Vitz

    Just checking 5.5=end of “Button Factory Picnic”
    Correct?

    Reply
  5. Dr Vitz Avatar
    Dr Vitz

    My own fault for half-reading your comments – seems it’s up there

    Reply
  6. Dr Vitz Avatar
    Dr Vitz

    Never mind – I’m just a careless reader, I see

    Reply
  7. Jim Compton Avatar
    Jim Compton

    Started late and nowhere near caught up. But I’ll get there.

    All I can add at this point is that the vividly evoked town of Port Ticonderoga, Ontario, is fictional. There does not even appear to be any lakeside town where two rivers meet. Did everybody else know that already? I looked it up to see how far it was from where my mom was born, around the same time as Iris, in London, Ont.
    There are, of course, plenty of red-brick factories across North America converted into malls for tourist kitsch.

    Reply
  8. Dr. Vitz Avatar
    Dr. Vitz

    Things got pretty creepy for Laura in this section. With the intro of the pulps as an influence as well, there’s a definite question about what influences go into TBA’s on genre conventions. For a song, I find myself fixating on Okkervil River’s Black

    Reply
  9. Lydia_S Avatar
    Lydia_S

    An intact world with cracks. I like Iris’s stories and at the same time it is a world where children are by and large on their own. And even isolated from other children. No wonder there are consequences. And there he is, the narrator of the story within the story. Am I shocked because Laura is only 14 years old? And I have a hidden picture experience: the photograph from the beginning has obviously just been taken.

    Reply
  10. blue_f Avatar
    blue_f

    I’ve fallen a bit behind this week but I’m still there. And I know I’m not the only one. 😉

    Reply
  11. Alyssa Avatar
    Alyssa

    Ah, so finally we learn the origin story of the photograph mentioned at the very beginning of the book. Shocking to learn that she was only 14, no? I’m still very much enjoying this book; just enough mystery to keep pulling me along. It’s a lovely diversion right now.

    Reply
  12. So-Called Bill Avatar
    So-Called Bill

    The gold-plated gingerbread is back.

    Reply
  13. Computilo Avatar
    Computilo

    I’ve fallen behind a bit, but two passages from the “Fur Coat” section really struck me this week. In the first, following the death of the baby, Laura’s persistent questions to Reenie prompted this tried and true response: “Never mind, she said, you’ll know when you’re older. She said, What you don’t know won’t hurt you. A dubious maxim: sometimes what you don’t know can hurt you.” Truer words were never spoken, especially in the current environment. Thinking of Lysol here.

    And in the same section, when Laura and Iris were “left on our own a lot at that time,” I was in awe of Atwood’s narrative genius, the sheer beauty of her description of their discoveries (the potatoes with their blind albino tentacles). The passage reminded me how my own childhood discoveries of random, simple items (a lost bottle cap, a single earring, a dusty matchbook, a piece of sea glass from Lake Michigan) became characters and props in the opening act of my own interior adventure life.

    Reply
  14. Jeff Avatar
    Jeff

    Fun section this week. Iris’s narration continues to be delightfully cutting and witty. Loved the juxtaposed sections of the fussy and willowy “Miss Violence,” with the cruel Mr. Erksine with (my fave description this week) “a smell like the bottom of a damp laundry hamper,” who tells her father the two girls are nothing short of deplorable.” Can’t really look at that word the same anymore. And got a real “Another Brick in the Wall” vibe from that whole section. As crappy as my American public school education was, at least I wasn’t beaten and humiliated. (Well, not by the teachers, anyway.)

    Also loved Iris’s depictions of her sister’s bewilderment in taking all of the adults’ words and phrases literally. Funny throughout and yet also keeps framing Laura as somewhat helpless and lost without Iris’s constant vigilance.

    Reply
  15. Susan C Avatar
    Susan C

    This week’s reading flew by for me and I had to put on the brakes! As someone on the downhill slope of my years, I loved Iris’ observation about her youth: “How I would like to have them back, those pointless afternoons–the boredom, the aimlessness, the unformed possibilities.And I do have them back, in a way; except now there won’t be much of whatever happens next.”
    And even though my high school French allowed me to recognize most of the words, I had to look up all of those French maxims of Mr. Erskine’s to get the full meaning. Looking at that page reminded me of Madame Roy saying, “Explique s’il vous plait.”

    Reply
  16. Kathy Smith Avatar
    Kathy Smith

    I’m a little behind but still enjoying

    Reply
  17. Peaseblossom Avatar
    Peaseblossom

    “Spring made a frolicsome entrance this April, heralded by a veritable cavalcade of chauffeured limousines as eminent guests flocked to one of the most interesting receptions of the season, the charming April 6th affair given at her imposing Tudor-beamed Rosedale residence by Mrs. Winifred Griffen Prior, in honour of Miss Iris Chase of Port Ticonderoga, Ontario. “ Sure, that sounds exactly analogous to the drizzly, dreary, COVID-19 quarantine-inspired, socially-distanced, numbering-fewer-than-ten-persons gatherings that I’ve not attended this spring. *sigh*

    “Children believe that everything bad that happens is somehow their fault, and in this I was no exception; but they also believe in happy endings, despite all evidence to the contrary, and I was no exception in that either.” One of the things I love about this book is that Atwood drops these shards of crystal clear psychology within the mosaic of her narrative.

    My playlist addition this week: “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell.

    Reply
  18. Itto Ogami Avatar
    Itto Ogami

    Eery and very sad watching Laura’s early years unfold while illustrating more seeds of her pain, e.g., teacher molested her. Like a slow moving narrative car accident. Literally. I read with trepidation every time Laura appears, e.g., when she disappeared and was found sitting with the visitor under a tree. Iris’ growing resentment of her sisterly responsibilities doesn’t help.

    Reply
  19. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    The words that resonate most with me this week we’re from Iris, “More and more I feel like a letter — deposited here, collected there. But a letter addressed to no one.” Over these past few weeks I’ve spent more time than usual with my 91 year old mother. Iris’s words totally capture how my mom sums up the way she feels most days.

    As for Alex Thomas … The plot thickens. Sure hope to see his name appear more often in next week’s installment.

    Reply
  20. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    This week my thoughts of Russian stacking dolls turned into Russian stacking dads: deity as paternal figure, paternal figure as deity. They are contradictory and conflated roles: the one who gives is the one who takes away, the one who protects is the one who punishes, the one who is all-seeing is the one who turns a blind eye (ahem) to your suffering, or worse, observes your suffering and does nothing.

    We see many expressions of this figure in the book: the mercurial king, the taciturn father, the benevolent factory owner, the tough-love old-testament god, the pathological tutor:

    “Laura, on the other hand, had taken to religion in a serious way during Mr. Erskine’s tenure: she was still frightened of God, but forced to choose between one irascible, unpredictable tyrant and another, she’d chosen the one that was bigger, and also father away. ”

    The analogy develops between Laura’s lived experience and the kingdom within TBA. There, the king operates as a surrogate for the will of divine power. He sacrifices subjects as part of a construction that no one really believes in anymore, and yet, still performs. Enter: the blind assassin – an orphan freed of internalized servitude to parental figures – those false gods – and so prepared to kill the dad-of-the-state: the king.

    It seems that he will be a key for Laura, the experience that pries the scales from her eyes. I wonder though if by showing her the seams, the bogus hierarchy of the oppressor, whether she will liberated emotionally, or subject to a new little god.

    Reply
  21. Ute Avatar
    Ute

    Need to catch up. Will be back next week for sure!

    Reply
  22. Realzorro Avatar
    Realzorro

    Made it. Just glad I don’t have to eat Reenie’s pie. Great description… can’t help thinking of how much our world may start to resemble their’s in the latter years of the depression. Private businesses holding onto employees and public spaces degraded by lack of funds for maintenance etc. sadly resonant. Not clicking w the novel within but I love her descriptions of the family life and I agree that they do setup Aspects of the kingdom in TBA. Hard to picture Laura as an iconic novelist…

    Reply
  23. Susannah Avatar
    Susannah

    The pacing of this book is really welcome for me during this time. It’s complicated enough that I need to focus but also really engaging. Like others have said I was worried to find out Laura met Alex Scott when she was only 14. I’m looking forward to finding out more next week.

    Reply
  24. Clort Avatar
    Clort

    Oof, I think I’m the last one to get to the campsite. This week I went crashing off into the underbrush in search of a peplum. (Peplum: a short section attached to the waistline of a blouse, jacket, or dress.) Because I was intrigued by Iris in a Schiaparelli dress for the reception (Toronto High Noon Gossip). I was hoping to find the Schiaparelli dress itself, but I had no luck. I suspect Atwood invented it. I had hoped that the dress might be a definitive, factual link between Zycron and Port Ticonderoga. Anyway, here’s an example of a Schiaparelli debutante dress from 1938: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/82089. You decide.

    Reply
  25. Jennifer E Avatar
    Jennifer E

    Very enjoyable and a quick read this week though I’m not sure why it flew by. I had a chuckle when Iris described being pawned off to the “smirking patronizing elf just out of short pants” at the bank. What a great description.

    That being aside, I wonder about the impact of the abuse from the teacher on Laura’s mental health and if that along with the loss of her mother and neglect from her father led to her death. Seems like she made an attempt as a child, makes me feel sad that she felt so lost.

    Reply
  26. Mike M Avatar
    Mike M

    Still in it — doing a lot of listening on my audio version, which has been fun.

    Reply
  27. Jeff K Avatar
    Jeff K

    really enjoying the cadence and overall flow of the book, going back to the SciFi and newspaper stories, and then the flashbacks with Iris and Laura, and then the older Iris. I’m starting to want to know more about Reenie. Really curious about her comment about one of the teachers being an “old maid,” and her claim that she had plenty of opportunities. It’s very clear that Laura is a curious person, and wondering if this will continue to play out. And it’s obvious Iris is extremely independent. I continue to want to know more about the couple and now wondering why he has to move around so much.

    Reply
  28. KT Avatar
    KT

    Enjoying the read this week, particularly the vivid descriptions of sensibilities in times past. I’ve been trying to hold a dime between my knees as I go about my day – how did young ladies manage?

    Reply
  29. Barbara B Avatar
    Barbara B

    I love stumbling across the bits of Iris’s life that end up in the Assassins story, like the origin of the photo that is described in the Prologue: Perennials for a Rock Garden.

    Reply
  30. Cecil Vortex Avatar
    Cecil Vortex

    sorry I missed this — you got it!

    Reply
  31. Cecil Vortex Avatar
    Cecil Vortex

    I always like the real mixed with unreal — been looking up various Canadian politicians to see which was what….

    Reply
  32. Cecil Vortex Avatar
    Cecil Vortex

    Here comes the gold-plated gingerbread.

    Reply
  33. Cecil Vortex Avatar
    Cecil Vortex

    That was my favorite section this week — life bookended by aimlessness….

    Reply
  34. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    Interestingly enough, I listened to a This American Life episode yesterday that said you should always tell children what is what, not the old “never mind” line. I wonder if there will be any studies following up on the psychology of “never minders” and “tell ’em everything in gruesome reality”. That has potential to be a true page turner.

    Reply
  35. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    Who would have guessed that Iris ultimately turns into the most interesting character?

    Reply
  36. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    For the lucky ones 😉

    Reply
  37. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    I agree. She dropped a few sentences in the last sections that are gruesome in their reality: “for the children with their greedy little mouths represent the future, which like time itself will devour all now alive.”

    That’s one that slapped me across the face.

    Reply
  38. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    Carl Jung would love this novel.

    Reply
  39. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    How’s the narration? I thought about going that route, but ended up on Kindle.

    Reply
  40. Josh O Avatar
    Josh O

    Mostly, I’m just enjoying the pulpiness of the plot lines. This is my first best seller novel read in several years. It’s a refreshing break from the argumentative non-fiction I’ve been reading for a while.

    One thing I’ve really appreciated and enjoyed is the hopscotch narrative. That’s not so easy to pull off. Despite a couple of odd jumps and weird impacts within the chapter structure, I’m very pleased with the flow. It’s energetic and has enough pollination that it is keeping me interested 🙂

    Reply
  41. A Avatar
    A

    I liked this section a lot. This week I also read The Memory Police which is also narrated by a novelist and interspersed with pieces from the novel. It will be cool to see what happens next week.

    Reply
  42. The other Susan C Avatar
    The other Susan C

    Mike got me on Audible, too. The narration is clear and pleasant to listen to – nothing amazing. I have a little more difficulty keeping track of the story line.

    Reply
  43. xian Avatar
    xian

    falling further behind on this meander though more to do with volunteer work than the novel. planning a big catch-up week!

    Reply
  44. Maggie Avatar
    Maggie

    Still behind, posting late but hope springs eternal that I will catch up

    Reply
  45. Cecil Vortex Avatar
    Cecil Vortex

    posting late is still posting! 🙂 #itsameanderafterall

    Reply
  46. e Avatar
    e

    argh—very late to post….and behind in book.

    Reply
  47. Amanda Avatar
    Amanda

    For sure, it’s a real Freud fest.

    Reply
  48. Pete b Avatar
    Pete b

    I am intent on taking “meander literally” by falling behind and misplacing the book. All better now. Enjoying that is makes sense now but behind.

    Reply
  49. xian Avatar
    xian

    straggler here… falling further behind but still crawling along.

    Reply

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