"Alias Grace"

The premise and history were great hooks, but an anti-climatic ending with lots of loose ends left a lot to be desired.

Summary:

With a grisly double murder, the Victorian-era Canadian public is enthralled by the possible pair of murderers. James McDermott is hung, but sixteen-year-old Grace Marks is spared the noose as she claims to have lost all memory of the fateful day. Everyone questions whether she was innocent, an unwitting accomplice, a murderess, or just plain insane. Psychologist Dr. Simon Jordan sets out on a quest to find some answers. Now after decades in prison, Grace Marks will finally get the chance to tell her story. But delving into the past may bring up memories better left forgotten.

Verdict: 6/10

I had no idea that this "historical fiction" was based on a real case! Those involved in the murders are real people with real facts and a real setting (and a setting you don't hear much about, as mid-nineteenth century Canada doesn't strike everyone as a go-to for mysteries). Any testimonies or snippets from newspapers are historical, which I thought added such a depth to this story.

I enjoyed how Atwood took one woman who was gossiped about world-wide and gives her a platform. Yes, she's making up yet another story about Grace like the newspapers did... but still, it's a neat idea.

The path of Grace's narrative sounds like such a modern detective novel. I never would have guessed this really happened. The author really did her research. And while Atwood takes certain liberties with introducing Dr. Jordan, there were many theories that came out, back in that day and since then, about the mental aspect of the case. I value that Atwood included some spiritualism and other scientific developments and trends of the day to be true to the historical culture. The novel was a unique way of investigating the events and just a few of the possible motives/outcomes.

However, I thought the "reveal" was a bit anti-climatic. I saw it coming from a mile away, making all of the action seem flat. The events after the hypnotism felt rushed and left so many questions unanswered. I get that there's only so much we can know about the real Grace, but even the characters Atwood introduced didn't get a clear ending.

SPOILER ALERT!

I had just seen Fight Club so maybe I was looking for the multiple personality angle. But I was more upset by the side characters storylines. Like was Grace really seeing the disguised Jeremiah or was she making it up? Was Dr. Jordan really injured at the end or was he writing as his mother to throw Mrs. Humphrey off?

Seriously, what was the point of Dr. Jordan's romantic scandals? It seemed unnecessary to me and drew away from the story that I really wanted to hear about which was Grace's. Maybe Atwood was trying to draw a parallel with Jordan and the other men in the story, but I thought it was too much.

SPOILERS FINISHED

The flip in perspectives was irksome. I found myself yelling, 'I don’t care about the doc’s mother's letters! Quit switching when Grace’s story was just getting good!' Also, the dream sequences are confusing (even with guessing the right ending). Atwood was trying to add more depth than I thought was needed and it ultimately slowed down the story for me.

I've started the Netflix show and I'm hoping that will help with the pacing. If I could skip past some of the dream sections and the letters between characters, I think it would have been more of a thrill. But maybe this was supposed to be more contemplative. I appreciate what the author was trying to do. It was still interesting and made you think through historical events through a new lens. I'm just frustrated in what it could have been.