Alias Grace begins after the murderess has served 8 years in prison. Simon Jordon, a young doctor, interviews her for several months hoping to establish her innocence. But under hypnotism she becomes a very aggressive person and admits taking part in the two murders, but not as Grace Marks. Atwood recreates Grace as an innocent young girl who never forgets the death of her mother, and later her best friend, Mary Whitney. But at the same time, she does not seem too bothered by McDermott's desire to kill Thomas Kinnear, or his mistress, Nancy Montgomery.
Grace has a beauty which attracts most all men in the story.
Even Simon Jordon, the only person she regularly confides in, regrets that a love affair with his landlady forces him to leave town and abandon Grace at the Kingston Penitentiary. The story is well-written, although one entire chapter contains nothing but letters.