Rating: 4 Stars
The writing, the ominous tone, and the deliberately slow burn – the few things I really enjoyed about The Handmaid’s Tale.
If you’re like me and all you know about The Handmaid’s Tale is that it’s written by Margaret Atwood, that it was made into a Hulu original series, and that it is widely loved by a large population of readers and T.V. watchers, allow me to give you some context to draw upon.
The Handmaid’s Tale is a story about The Republic of Gilead, formerly known as The United States of America, a “monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans.” Meaning, everyone takes the Book of Genesis at its word and anyone who breaks the law is sentenced to death. Women lose their right to vote, their right to work, their right to own money. They are now property with the sole purpose of continuing the human race. Well, some of them.
The main character is Offred. (Yes, every Handmaid has a weird name like that, just go with it. You’ll find out at the end why.) She is a Handmaid. Not everyone is a Handmaid, though. There are Wives, Econwives, Marthas, Aunts, Commanders, Daughters, Unwomen, Angels, and The Eyes. Sound strange? It is.
We come to this information slowly. In the beginning, we know nothing, and unlike other stories, the author does not go out of her way to tell us what’s going on. We’re like blindfolded children trying to peer through a thick cashmere sweater. We listen to conversations. We feel around a bit. And then slowly, very slowly, we start to figure out what in God’s name is going on.
It was meant to read that way. This is a story of one woman’s account of a horrific time in history, a time when even thinking too loud felt punishable by death. So naturally, we’re going to be given information delicately. Offred can’t just say everything on her mind all at once. She has to be thoughtful. She needs to make sure she won’t be discovered. She needs to make sure we can be trusted.
If that kind of reading experience fascinates you, keep reading. It sure fascinated me.
Margaret Atwood has said in many times that every horrifying event she wrote about in The Handmaid’s Tale is all true; that it happened at some point or another on Earth.
Say what??
Women were forced to have sex with men strictly for the purpose of producing a baby?
Women were tossed aside if they couldn’t have children?
Women were (are) refused the same rights as men?
Women were (are) told to keep their head down and be silent.
Women didn’t (don’t) have the right to choose what happens to or happens with their bodies?
Women were hanged for not doing what they were told?
All of this didn’t happen in America, don’t worry. And all of it didn’t happen in just the last one hundred years, don’t worry. But it did happen, and in The Handmaid’s Tale it’s all put into one storyline with one character.
Needless to say, I haven’t stopped thinking about The Republic of Gilead in over a week. Did this stuff really happen? Are we doing anything to make sure it doesn’t happen again? If we’re not careful, could we be heading towards this post-apocalyptic world?
While I really enjoyed this book I will say I expected the ending to be different. I think that’s because the T.V. series, with its flashy scenes and dramatic editing, made me think this was going to end with a big bang!
It didn’t.
But that’s okay. It stayed true to itself, ending just as ominously as it started, and because I was so hooked, I preferred that kind of ending anyway. It made sense. Also, that last line? Epic. Pure genius
This is a good story, y’all. A little spooky, mostly eerie, funny at times, and all-together ominous. I recommend it.
The Handmaid’s Tale can be purchased on Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, or Bookshop, where every purchase supports independent bookstores.
