I always find myself enjoying Margaret Atwood's books, not necessarily due to the plots or the concepts, but rather her characters - her unique writing always brings them to life, as they narrate their experiences in their unusual worlds. I can't exactly pinpoint why I like them so much, but then again it's easier to just read her books and enjoy it regardless.
Alias Grace is the fourth book that I've read by Atwood, and coming in at over 500 pages, it's also the longest I've read by far. It's also unique in that it's based on historical events, in this case focusing on the alleged murderer Grace Marks, and you can tell Atwood did her research as there's an afterword going over the sources she looked at when writing the book. That's not the only proof, however, with the book also littered with short excerpts of poetry and letters about the case, adding to the experience by letting you immerse further into the case. I don't think many authors often blend various different media like this in a book, which is a shame as it only makes the book stronger at the end.
Yet it's important to not forget this is historical fiction. Graces' account of her experiences are seemingly genuine, but some of the characters she interacts with, like Dr Simon Jordan who follows her case, are fictional. And even then, one must always doubt what she says - interspersed amongst her recollections of Toronto and work in various houses, it's easy to suspect she's holding back something as she relentlessly sews. There's not much emotion painted in her words compared to what one might assume. Yet through her memories of people such as her friends Mary Whitney and Jeremiah (both brilliantly written characters who weren't described enough, Mary especially), some joy and regret is present.
Marks to me is a well-written character by Atwood, coming off as someone who has had to accept what has been imposed on them, with events misconstrued against her. Her fellow worker Jamie Walsh testified against her at her trial, and then begged for her forgiveness; James McDermott pursues her even when she says no, and then turns on her; her father an alcoholic and her mother unable to get to Canada. Her life is filled with pain, yet she's had to persist, and as you get further into the book, it gets very easy to feel sympathy for someone who could have been a murderer. And yes we're detached from that time, the murders happened outside our lifetimes after all, but one could even argue she would have stayed a victim throughout her life.
Unfortunately, however, not all of the book is devoted to Marks - occasionally we're invited to read about Dr Simon Jordan's life. I couldn't stay engaged when reading these chapters, and I wondered why we ought to know about his various housekeepers and his love life, and these fragments caused the book to drag on. I personally wanted him to stay an accessory to the plot and for Marks to go on about her fascinating (if sometimes fictionalised) life - yet at the same time, I don't think these chapters are poorly written, merely somewhat needless.
To my surprise, the murder was actually covered in the book earlier than I expected - indeed, the last 150 pages are devoted to Marks' trial and eventual release, along with additional subplots and letters which didn't add much to the enjoyment of the story. At one point, Grace is subjected to a hypnotic trance, with her ensuing words supposed to act as evidence that she was innocent, which I found somewhat confusing, not least as this doesn't get resolved in any meaningful fashion - she does get pardoned, but not due to the hypnosis. And the additional letters on Dr Jordan weren't my favourite parts, unsurprisingly.
Obviously the book is about Grace Marks the person, even if the title suggests the person and the name are somewhat distinct. We see her grow up, suffer, lose her freedom and regain it, and over the course of about forty years and 500 pages, it's easy to get attached to her. I don't often read rather long books, in fact I was shying away from reading it due to its length, but unlike many shorter texts, I struggled losing interest. Then again, why be surprised? It's by Atwood, after all.
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