
I’m a firm believer that Margaret Atwood should win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and my contribution this month is talking about one of her books. Alias Grace is a historic fiction inspired by the real-life story of Grace Marks, a Canadian maid accused of murdering her boss and his lover with the help of James McDermott, another servant. Even though Marks was convicted for the crime, many believed she wasn’t guilty. Basically, it is another story of a woman suffering the consequences for a man’s mistake.
What I love about this novel is how Atwood explores the mind of Grace, and how multidimensional the character is. Miss Marks seems sweet and innocent on the outside, but we know she lies to protect herself and friends, and she never tells the whole story in order to not seem suspicious or wiser than her condition suggests. And still, we feel a lot of sympathy for the character.