A quarter way through the book, and while I’m finding it a most enjoyable read, reminiscent of my long-time affair with murder mysteries, especially based on true crime, I do not find any deep meaning to uncover. Since the mystery is more to the extent of Grace’s involvement and the unraveling of her self-protective layers by Dr. Simon Jordan and the reader, I suppose my focus is more on the writing style. Atwood is, as usual, excellent in her application of the repertoire of skills. There is also an interesting aspect of the history of the era, the gender bias as well as the social bias of the times, so more than just the character study comes into play.
It always bothers the purist in me to fictionalize truth, but then, seeing what is happening each and every day in reality, there probably is no such thing as truth when you recognize perception as just another individual bias.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
Hi Susan,
You might also want to look at the gaze/the look and the various levels on which it operates in ALIAS GRACE. The lack of one definitive account of the murders also plays into the fallacy of sight.
Hmm, yes; although I’m not sure what your mean I have been aware of the diverse descriptions and opinions of Grace by the various letter correspondence and the references to both the drawing and the way Grace sees those around her. The nuance of her lowering her eyes–though taught by prison life–and how she changes in her time spent with Simon. No doubt she manipulates her own presence based on what she feels she needs or wants to display. Thank you for the tip, I will indeed be watching for these subtleties now.