Alias Grace tells us the story of convicted murderess Grace Marks who tells her life story to a Dr Simon Jordan in the penitentiary where she has resided for a long while.
As a young Irish girl Grace moves from Belfast to Canada with her parents and many siblings. Unfortunately, her mother dies on the voyage over and her father, an alcoholic, is left with Grace and her siblings. When Grace turns 14, her dad decides that she should go into service. She finds a place as a scullery maid and she shares her room and bed with another maid Mary Whitney. The two girls become close friends. When Mary finds herself pregnant, she goes for a termination and the next morning, she’s dead.
Grace then moves to the service of Thomas Kinnear, and the housekeeper Nancy Montgomery is jealous of Grace because Grace is a very pretty girl. When Nancy fires Grace and the stable hand James McDermott, the man tells her he intends to kill Nancy and Kinnear.
This book is based on a true story, the murders of Tomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery. Grace was convicted of the murder on Kinnear only. Margaret Atwood has given Grace a voice – she comes across as a somewhat naive girl and not at all a cunning murderer. Some of the characters lik Mary Whitney and Simon Jordan are completely fictional.
I really enjoyed this book.
Read for the Read Between the Lines Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 2: A Book that Was Nominated for the Booker Prize
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
