February 4, 2015

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood

Holy smokes, people! This book is amazing. I read it with my library book club, and while I was reading it, I was thinking, "Man, this is a good book." Then my book group discussed it. By the end of the discussion, we were all sitting there with our mouths hanging open thinking collectively, "Mind blown."

There are sort of two story lines happening here. First, is the story Grace is telling Dr. Jordan about her memories surrounding the murders of her employer and his mistress/housekeeper, for which Grace has been incarcerated for 17 years. The second story is the story of Dr. Jordan's stay in Kingston where Grace is in prison and some of the townspeople involved in Grace's case. Grace claims to have passed out during the germain parts of the day of the murders and doesn't remember doing the things her accused accomplice says she did.

This is a large book and my copy had terribly small print, but there was not a single throwaway word in all 460 pages. As we discussed the book, we found each of us remembered different points and when we went back and looked at those sections, we found little words and phrases that opened up a whole new meaning to the book.

If you can discuss this with a group after you read it, it's an amazing way to experience the brilliance that is Alias Grace.

Oh yeah. 10 bookmarks!