894. Alias Grace

Alias Grace
Margaret Atwood
1996
Around 470 pages

Margaret Atwood will never cease to amaze me with her range. Here she blends historical fiction and true crime, completely transforming her style to fit the gothic style of the story. She's a witch, in other words.

The novel fictionalizes the 1843 murder of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper/lover Nancy Montgomery. The two servants, Grace Marks and James McDermott were convicted of the crime. While serving her life sentence, Grace tells the story of her life to psychiatrist Dr. Simon Jordan.

I think we all have that dash of morbidity that makes novels based on real murders utterly fascinating. Grace is such a mysterious character that the reader can formulate many theories on how much of a victim she is, which is mirrored in Dr. Jordan's insatiable curiosity. Grace is able to captivate Dr. Jordan while sewing and patching together the broken memories of her past. God, it's so good.

Atwood once again shows off her deep understanding of character, and manages to provide social and political commentary at the same time. Put her in charge of all the things.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Adapted to a miniseries in 2017.

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