Our book choice for January 2015 is Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. Toronto 1843: The young maid Grace is found guilty of the double murder. Female fiend? Femme fatale? Or weak and unwilling victim? Around the true story of one of the most enigmatic and notorious women of the 1840s, Margaret Atwood has created an extraordinarily potent tale of sexuality, cruelty and mystery.
The year is 1859. Grace Marks, a young woman who has been convicted of murder, is serving a life sentence in Kingston Penitentiary. She has been granted permission to work as a housekeeper in the home of the Governor and his wife, who are members of a group that advocates for social reform.
Dr. Simon Jordan, a young American doctor who is interested in the emerging field of mental illness, is brought in to evaluate Grace’s mental state. He is skeptical of the idea that Grace is insane, but he is also intrigued by her story.
Grace agrees to tell Dr. Jordan her life story, beginning with her childhood in Ireland and her emigration to Canada. She tells him about her abusive father, her difficult childhood, and her work as a servant in the Kinnear household. She also tells him about the night of the murders, when she and James McDermott, another servant, were accused of killing Thomas Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery.
Grace insists that she does not remember the murders, and Dr. Jordan begins to wonder if she is telling the truth. He also begins to question the role of gender and class in the case. Is Grace really a murderer, or is she simply a victim of circumstance?
As Dr. Jordan gets to know Grace, he begins to see her as a complex and sympathetic figure. He is also drawn to her intelligence and her resilience. However, he is also aware of the danger that she poses. Grace is a damaged woman, and she is capable of great violence.
The novel is told from two perspectives: Grace’s own first-person narration and Dr. Jordan’s third-person narration. This allows the reader to see the unfolding events from multiple perspectives and to form their own conclusions about Grace’s guilt or innocence.
The novel is also notable for its historical setting. It is set in 19th-century Canada, a time when the country was struggling to define itself. The novel explores the social and economic forces that shaped Grace’s life and the society in which she lived.
Discussion Questions for Alias Grace
- Is it a crime novel: discuss
- Each chapter begins with epigraphs, what is their function?
- What do you think of Grace her lack of memory or refusal to remember or refusal to tell Jordan parts. Plus she tells us/shows us that McDermott is a liar = impenetrable
- Do you think she committed the crime for which she is accused? Did she commit any other crimes?
- Margaret Atwood manages to remain non-committal throughout. We are never sure whether Grace is innocent. Is this always convincing?
- Were you surprised, disappointed or pleased by the ending?
- Is the Dr Jordan character idealistic or flawed
- What motivates Dr Simon Jordan?
- The timeline – does it make sense? 2 weeks to plot a murder
- Simon escapes committing a murder ( because he is a man) – how is the widow Humphrey like and unlike Grace
- What do you make of the hypnosis scene, is it a set up ? and if so, does it achieve anything?
- Did you notice that as Grace tells the story to Dr Jordan, when she gets to the part with the murder, Dr Jordan’s life also falls apart.
- What do you think of James McDermott, can we possibly make a judgement, given the layers of lies around his character?
- Did you notice the chapter opening patchwork quilt designs? They’re quite witch-like and sinister to quietly create something with a meaning like a spell
- The patchwork is a quiet statement of power. Making endless designs from the same material and in a recognised formula, is this like novel writing?
- What did you think of Dr Jordan’s mother?
Individual Ratings
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