I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never read any works by Margaret Atwood before this one, The Handmaid’s Tale.
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After devouring this novel, though, I definitely plan to read more by this author. She’s a fantastic writer, sculpting an eerie yet tender tale with beautiful and rhythmic words. But is this book science fiction, a thriller, or a jarring example of feminist literature? All three. And it will leave you horrified contemplating the possibility of such an archaic caste system for females in any society.
The main character is Offred, a “Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable.” And although Offred can remember a life before this patriarchal society, she must find a way to cope and possibly gain some happiness.
If you have not yet watched the Hulu series by the same name, don’t. Not yet. Not until you read this amazing book and let The Handmaid’s Tale ignite your imagination in a way that only books can.
