1859. Grace Marks, sentenced to life
imprisonment, slowly turns in circles in the yard of a Canadian penitentiary.
At the age of 16, Grace was accused of two horrible murders. No one ever knew
if she was guilty, innocent or crazy. At her trial, after giving three versions
of the facts, Grace walled herself up in silence: amnesia or dissimulation?
Doctor Simon Jordan, a promising young
specialist in mental illness, wants to discover the truth. He obtains
permission to visit Grace, to make her speak at length. Grace talks about her
Irish childhood, the agony of her mother on the boat that takes them to Canada,
her domestic jobs, the death of her only friend; a crafty little maid...
Alias Grace is an
historical fiction, winner of the Canadian "Giller Prize" and was
shortlisted for the "Booker Prize".
Author: Margaret Atwood was born in November
18, 1939 in Ottawa. She grew up in northern Quebec, Ontario and Toronto. She
has lived in many other cities, including Boston, Vancouver, Edinburgh, Berlin
and London, and travelled a lot. She has published over forty books, including
novels, poetry and literary criticism. She lives in Toronto with novelist
Graham Gibson and their daughter Eleanor Jess.
My thoughts: I read the French translation in
the 90s. This is without a doubt my favourite book, a magnificent book. The
beauty of Alias Grace lies not within the plot, which is mysterious and based
on a true story, nor within the voices of the characters, but within the artistry
that Atwood has demonstrated, the true craft of a writer.
The celebrated murderess, young Grace Marks,
was a real person in Canada in 1843. She was arrested, along with a man named
James McDermott, accused of murdering their employer, Thomas Kinnear, and his
pregnant housekeeper-mistress Nancy Montgomery. Grace told three different
versions of the murders throughout the trial and was sentenced to life in
prison, while McDermott hung. Grace was a loner, she had nobody. Doctor Simon
Jordan makes it his mission to lead Grace through her life leading up to the
day of the murders. Little by little he started to like her and feel compassion
for her, and "saved" her in all the ways a person can be saved.
