Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is one of those authors who immerse you in their characterisations, and so it was a pleasure to re-read Alias Grace.
Grace Marks is a young, possibly mad, woman imprisoned for life for the murder of her employer and his housekeeper/mistress. Her case is a famous one, even years later, and Dr Jordan, a psychiatrist, begins to investigate her case with a view to securing a pardon for her.
An enigma, Grace could be either a cold-blooded murderer or an innocent witness to the crime for which she is serving a life sentence. Is she a credulous half-wit who is literally haunted by the past, or is she calculating, manipulative and dangerous?
Grace doesn’t really reveal her story to Dr Jordan; she hides between the words, but her future in freedom or incarcerated depends on her tale.
One of Margaret Atwood’s best, and well worth the read.
Melanie Ryan
Programs and Communications
