The Blind Assassin Summary

In the later years of her life, residing in the small town of Port Ticonderoga in Ontario, Iris Chase Griffen pens a memoir reflecting on her life and tracing her family history. Iris, in her eighties, is the last remaining member of her family, having outlived her sister Laura, her husband Richard, and her daughter Aimee. She does have a granddaughter, Sabrina, though their relationship is distant. Iris's narrative oscillates between her present-day experiences as an elderly woman and the recollections of her childhood and early life.

Iris's memoir encompasses excerpts from a novel published posthumously under her late sister Laura's name, believed by many to be a result of Laura's tragic death in a car accident in 1945, presumed by many to be suicide. The novel recounts illicit encounters between a wealthy woman and an unnamed man, a fugitive of sorts, who regales his lover with tales of a distant planet named Zycron. The narratives suggest that Laura might have been involved in a secret affair with a man of lower social standing with radical political beliefs.

Born into a prosperous family, Iris and Laura's lives become convoluted as they navigate through the Great Depression, unfulfilling marriages, and political unrest. Iris is coerced into marrying Richard Griffen - a cold, aloof tycoon - to save their family business. But their marriage is unhappy, dominated by Richard's sister, Winifred. A series of tragedies and cover-ups ensue, including Laura's pregnancy and subsequent institutionalization, leading to an abortion to avoid scandal. Iris is left to unravel these dark secrets, eventually revealing her own involvement with Laura's novel and her affair with the man believed to be Laura's lover. As Iris's life draws to an end, she discloses her full story, intending to enlighten Sabrina about their family history.