Alias Grace

Margaret Atwood’s novel follows Grace Marks. She faces charges of two murders in Canada in 1843. She was sixteen at the time of the crime. She escapes death but gets a life term in prison. Did she kill, or fall prey to a violent partner in crime? Is her memory loss real, or does she fake it?

This mystery set in the past draws on a real case. It looks at crime, obsession, and women’s lives in the nineteenth century. Atwood builds suspense as she probes Grace’s unclear role. The novel also has humor and sexual themes.

Atwood is a Canadian writer born in 1939. She writes fiction, poems, critical essays, and books for children. She has written more than 35 books. Her work has translations in dozens of languages. She has won the Booker Prize and Giller Prize.