Readin' and Dreamin'

My first Atwood. I was very excited to dive into this seeing as how her books have been on my list for ages.

Alias Grace is a fictionalized account of a true story. In 1843, Grace Marks, a Canadian housemaid, was convicted of murdering her employer and his mistress. She and her supposed accomplice, James McDermott were both found guilty and set to hang, but Grace's sentence was later reduced to being committed to an asylum. Grace then spent the next thirty years in a variety of asylums and prisons.

This book has Grace telling her story to a young Dr Simon Jordan. However, if you're looking to find out if she really was willingly involved with the murders, or if she was unwillingly involved in them, you won't find that information here.

Instead, Grace draws you into her world. With her words she memorizes you. You start to feel sympathy for her. When she gets to the murders, she gives vague recaps, such as events that may or may not have been dreams or real life. She never lets it known whether she's guilty or not.

After thirty years of incarceration, Grace was pardoned and moved to New York. What happened to her is unknown, but Atwood gives a nice 'what might have happened to her'. The truth of her guilt is still doubted to this day.

After finishing Alias Grace, I have become eager to delve into Atwood's other work.