Alias Grace is a novel about a murderess named Grace who is being interviewed by a young doctor in an attempt to determine her innocence, sanity and general state of being at the time of the murders of her employer, Mr. Kinnear and the mistress of the house, Nancy Montgomery. Several years have passed since her incarceration and she works in the prison Governor's house as a seamstress and general servant. Grace tells of her early years as a child up to the time of her arrest, never truly remembering the murders. Or so we are to believe. Her story contains a recollection of astonishing events including abortion, adultery and murder: the recipe of a perfect novel?
I have been a fan of Margaret Atwood's for years. I enjoy her inventive tales that sometimes mesh science fiction with the ordinary. She's a weaver of intricate detailing in her novels, sometimes causing you to read a passage or chapter a couple of times, or even going back a few hundred pages to recall something that you had read that now made complete sense. I am usually shocked and occasionally appalled by her climax and/or endings. Yet, she draws me in. I am hooked.
Alias Grace was an exception to the rule.
I bought Alias Grace several years ago when I first read A Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin (which I have read at least three times since). I should have known when I added it to my 1% Well-Read Challenge that nothing had changed since the first time I read it. Of course, I tried for three years to read The Fountainhead and after finally becoming engrossed in it after the first 100 pages, I became an Ayn Rand addict, Atlas Shrugged still being on my top ten fave books of all time. So why not Alias Grace?
First off, part of the novel is written in letters. I hate letters. I hate trying to recall formal names and trying to remember who is who and the dates and what not. I hate it. That's what made me put the book down the first time.
Second, the story is based off true events that DID indeed occur in the 1800s. Fine. I'm fine with that. I love history. However, a climax or even a little bit of a buildup in the story would be nice. Nothing. The novel was flat. She describes the characters in intricate detail, as always, making it easy to imagine exactly what they would be like if we met them in person. She elaborates and somewhat embellishes Grace's story that she is telling but it never seems like she strays much off the beaten path. We are forced to assume nothing definitive. Did Grace kill Mr. Kinnear and Nancy Montgomery in cold blood? In a moment of insanity? We are given a story at one point but even for Atwood and her tall tales, it doesn't seem plausible.
I will continue reading Margaret Atwood because I love her stories. I can handle a disappointment every once in a while as long as she still produces crazy love stories such as Oryx and Crake. My suggestion would be to never pick up Alias Grace and read The Blind Assassin instead if you want to read about abortion, adultery and murder.
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