Book Review - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Title: The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid’s Tale # 1)
Author: Margaret Atwood
Genre: Fiction/ Classic
Published: 1985
 
Description: Offred is 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. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now…
 
Review: Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” was published first in 1985, the story is still chillingly topical. In this dystopian novel, the reader is drawn into the mind of Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. It’s a totalitarian, patriarchal theocracy that replaced the United States, following a staged terrorist attack. It operates through extreme social stratification, a rigid interpretation of the Old Testament, and the complete subjugation of women.
 
We have the Commanders, high-ranking ruling elite men and the decision-makers. Their wives manage the household, they don’t have jobs of their own. Then there is the Handmaids, the fertile women forced to bear children for the elite. The Aunts are the ones that train and discipline the Handmaids. Marthas are domestic servants, they cook and clean, and the Guardians are the local police, drivers and security. The Eyes are the secret police who keep an eye and everything and everyone (sort of like “Big Brother”).
 
The story is followed through the eyes of Offred (named after the Commander she is working for, she is the property “of Fred”). The book delves deeply into the protagonist’s experiences and her attempts to survive. The evoke strong emotions and you really get to bond with Offred. The way the story is told is intimate and gripping.
 
The book is fairly short (little over 300 pages) for such a complex and in depth story, but somehow Atwood managed to add it all in there without losing any substance. It has a psychological impact, sharp social criticism and it has an oppressive atmosphere.  
 
It is shockingly topical, still, many years after its publication date. Looking at religious extremism, oppression of women, loss of privacy, patriarchy. Atwood combines the present, the past, and the vague hope for a future with a unique structure that reflects the internal struggle.
 
I can understand that the intense, dark tone of the book might not be for everyone, but for fans of dystopian literature, this is a book that I can highly recommend. Many questions will raise about freedom and society and it will stay with you long after you finish reading it. I can’t wait to pick up the second book.
 
Rating: 5/ 5