Documentation of literary Documentary Fiction

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[ Bogtip efter Kathryn McNeill ] Alias Grace is based on the true story of the murders of a gentleman and his housekeeper in 1843 by two of their servants, James McDermott and Grace Marks. The case caused a public sensation at the time, partly due to the shock of a woman being involved in such a crime. McDermott is hanged, but Grace claims she has no memory of the critical few hours and her sentence is reduced to life imprisonment.  

Sixteen years later Simon Jordan, a young, forward thinking psychologist, conducts a series of interviews with Grace. She recounts her past, beginning with her immigration from Northern Ireland. The story is fascinating in its historical details, and gives an insight into the appalling inequalities of society at that time.   

Grace is down to earth and appears incredibly self-possessed, although the language she uses is full of nightmarish references to the traumatic events she has been through. This is a dark and disturbing tale, and the doctor stumbles from one problem to the next in his own life as he tries to make sense of the mysterious Grace. Despite the freedom his gender and class brings, he declines into near madness.  

Although we get to know Grace intimately, we never actually find out if she is innocent or guilty, if she’s an accomplished liar or simply a victim. Personally I believed her, and came to really admire the quiet strength of her personality in the face of society defining and controlling her. An amazing book that will leave you thinking for a long time after you finish it.

[ Boginfo ] Atwood, Margaret: Alias Grace. (original language: English) Bloomsbury, London, 1996 (1996). ISBN: 0-7475-2787-3.