In Search of “Alias Grace”

Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace is based on the murder of Thomas Kinnear and his mistress Nancy Montgomery in 1843. Kinnear’s manservant was hanged for the crime, but the execution of his supposed accomplice, Grace Marks, owing to her “feeble sex” and “extreme youth,” was commuted to life. In Search of “Alias Grace” describes Margaret Atwood’s search for the facts, what she found out, what eluded her grasp, and how this process shaped her novel.