This book was fantastic. Just like The Blind Assassin, I was intrigued by a slight change in tone and the movement of words about 2/3rds through the book. Quite suddenly, you realize that something's different than you've expected, and has been all along. The surprises that she holds till right after you sense them are not that surprising. It's no Conan-Doyle impossibility -- the reader can see what the other characters are seeing, and is able to move along with them in logic and sensibilities. I just love an author who gives you credit for being intelligent and gives you the tools to move to her sways.
Check out the summary here, if interested.
Some folks are hesitant to step into an Atwood book because she has been labeled "a feminist writer." This is such a meaningless label that I wouldn't pay any attention to some such press. The word "feminism" is so bastardized and split open in current society that God only knows what someone means when they say that. For my part, I wouldn't hamper her down with any label of that sort. Don't be fooled by some of the topics this book tackles...she certainly has substantial remorse for the character of Mary and her predicament (see the excerpt), but she has just as much remorse for the slighted character of the Doctor, involved in an affair that he would like to end. If you think of feminism as a "girl power," women are better than men term, then you will agree with me that this point is hardly on her agenda. She positions characters in such a manner that every gender, age, and class is given the chance to seem human, and only human. Mistakes are made, all of them believable, and on all sides of societal issues.
That's the beauty of her work. Especially Alias Grace, because you feel such compassion and disgust for a character all at the same time. Also, this book hits heavily on the mental institutions of the 1800's -- not a good time to be locked up. Of course, the book is dealing with actual history, since Grace Marks was a real person, actually accused and convicted for the murders of her employer and his lover. Whenever you have a book that deals with real history, somehow it's more compelling. But just like studying history, you can feel something inside yourself break when the inevitable happens and the characters...excuse me, REAL people you are cheering for are brought down by a simple course of events. It all seems so reasonable at the time...watching these events unfold always worries me...what simple, reasonable decisions am I making that might bring the whole happy dream crashing down?
No comments:
Post a Comment