In 2017, Margaret Atwood became on overnight sensation that was nearly five decades in the making. Atwood is a Canadian author, poet, and activist. She has told countless stories through poems, novels, short-stories, anthologies, non-fiction and scripts. In the midst of all of her brilliance is the true-crime story of Grace Marks, Alias Grace.

Written in 1996 as a novel, Alias Grace was adapted into a six part miniseries by CBC in Canada in 2017, hot on the heels of the runaway hit adaptation, The Handmaid’s Tale. In The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood tells the story of a dystopian world in the future. With Alias Grace, Atwood looks back to the trial of Grave Marks in 1843.

The novel tells the story of Marks, a maid living in Richmond Hill, Ontario who is in prison for the murder of her employer and his housekeeper. She was tried and convicted as an accomplice to the grisly murder and in Atwood’s story, Marks, 15 years into her prison term, is being subjected to a psychological evaluation.

Through a series of interviews, Marks tells the story of her immigration from Ireland, her relationship with her fellow maid, Mary and her connection to her employer, Thomas Kinnear. Through the weaving story, Dr. Simon Jordan becomes enthralled with the story and captivated by the innocent yet enchanting Grace Marks.

The series has a stellar cast in Sarah Gadon, Anna Paquin, Rebecca Liddiard and, Canadian screen royalty, Paul Gross. The pace and cinematography of the series brings tension to the well-written script as well as adding an ethereal quality to the scenes. The more Jordan is drawn into Marks’ story the less sure of reality the viewer becomes. The effect is stunning and adds so much depth to the story.

While the success of Handmaid’s has overshadowed Alias Grace, this limited series should not be overlooked. The original book is among Atwood’s best stories and the series is produced in a way that only enhances the original tale.

Be sure to catch this series on Netflix today.