The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

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Short Summary:

It is the world of the near future, and Offred is a Handmaid in the home of the Commander and his wife. She is allowed out once a day to the food market, she is not permitted to read, and she is hoping the Commander makes her pregnant, because she is only valued if her ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she was an independent woman, had a job of her own, a husband and child. But all of that is gone now…everything has changed.

My Review:

The place is Gilead. Religious fundamentalists are now in charge, but no fundamentalists like I’ve grown up knowing. Gone are the freedoms that women take for granted; their way of dress, owning a checking account and property, having a say over how their body is treated. Instead they are now placed into roles, the wives, the Marthas, the Handmaids.

This story revolves around Rachel, Jacob and Bilhah from Genesis. The use of Bilhah by Rachel and Jacob to give them children. But instead of being in ancient times it is now the future.

So many reviewers have pointed out that this is very similar to the treatment of women in other countries. It’s a true observation and this book does a chilling job of putting the reader in one of those womens shoes.

As I read I could hear the voice of Offred in my mind. I could hear resignation, sorrow and a lack of hope. I could hear disbelief as she spoke of memories that were so distant from what she is living now that they seem unreal. I could hear frustration as she struggled to understand why rules and traditions were being changed.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I thought it might be too graphic, that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Atwood deals with the subject, as I’m learning she always does, with a respectful hand, laying the facts out without making them personal. It’s that sense of detachment that struck home for me the most. I felt angry and scared while reading, my emotions making up for the seeming lack of emotion shown by Offred.

This is my second Margaret Atwood book. I’m hooked. Both this and The Robber’s Bride have shown incredible character development and eye-opening scenarios to me.

What a disturbing, fascinating book this is.

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