The Blind Assassin
Margaret Atwood · b. 1939 · Canada
Why it matters
An old woman unspools a family tragedy nested inside a pulp science-fiction story inside a scandalous novel. Atwood's Booker winner, a dazzling machine of stories within stories about guilt and authorship.
At a glance
postmodernfamily saga
Difficulty 7/10slow pace521 pagesA nested story-within-a-story structure and shifting timelines require patience.
Deep dive
A pulp science-fiction story nested inside a scandalous literary novel nested inside a decades-later memoir — and Atwood needs every one of those layers before she'll say who actually lived any of it.
