November's Pick: Alias Grace

For November's book club selection, I am going back to the future with Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace. I must confess, I have started this one already; it is a long read, but thus far, it is vintage Atwood, with beautiful prose and complex, intriguing characters.

Who makes for a better character than an accused murderess who may or may not be criminally insane? And a real person, to boot. Alias Grace is the story of Grace Marks, a teenager who was convicted of murdering her employer and his housekeeper in 1843. You can read about the trial via the Toronto Public Library site, and you can read more about Grace Marks at thewhig.com.

Alias Grace won the 1996 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Read more about Alias Grace here, and at Atwood's website, margaretatwood.ca.

Additionally, Alias Grace has made the Top 10 list (Ontario region) for the Canada Reads showdown. On November 14th, the list will be shortened to 5 for each region before a single representative will be selected.