The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood

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• ISBN13: 9780385490818
• Condition: New
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Book Reviews of The Handmaid's Tale

Book Review: The Best Novel I've Ever Had The Experience To Read
Summary: 5 Stars

In The Handmaid's Tale, our central character is Offred. The book is set in a post 21-Century dystopian society in which the United States has been destroyed from a nuclear war which obliterated large parts of the world. What remains is a strict and harsh barbaric society called The Republic Of Gilead. She is allowed only one function: to breed. Most of the women died and even most of those who managed to survive are contaminated and therefore can no longer reproduce. The few that can successfully do so are called Handmaids. They must give birth like rabbits to boost the population. Their babies are then handed over to the Wives of the Commanders who run the place. The Handmaid's are dressed in long red cloaks, they do not hold down jobs, must do as they are told and forced to live in strict households. They are tortured if they deviate from the 'correct' way of life and are not allowed freedom of speech - the removal of hooks and glass windows in case of the obvious suicide attempts that would reign throughout is a reminder of the harsh ideology.

The Handmaid's Tale is, indeed, not an easy read. It is a difficult book to understand, but then we really aren't meant to. The novel is shrouded in ambiguity and eventual possibilities, which all generate an electric buzz that keeps the reader hanging on, wanting to know what happens to our narrator, Offred. This at times can be extremely frustrating, especially for the casual reader who may give up after just a few chapters. The detail and thought that has gone into this novel makes it a masterpiece in its own right. Atwood uses detail to the max in describing the tumultuous state of mind that Offred experiences throughout her time in the society. In the first few chapters she describes her surroundings and introduces herself.

The characters also form a strong and coherent basis on which the novel is built. Serena Joy is the leader of the group. She is an evil and cold-hearted woman who is desperate for Offred to get pregnant so she can have a child of her own. Moria is the novel's hero. She is rebellious, she objects the system and doesn't care what happens to her if she strays from it. She is Offred's hero and keeps her sane throughout bleak times when suicide is a viable option. Moira's presence in the novel is extremely ambiguous and her downfall towards the end of the novel is genius. Cora, Rita and Nick also have minor roles, but in the end we get to see the bigger picture. The Aunts are like the officials of the household, strolling around with their cattleprods hung from thongs. Janine is perhaps the novel's greatest character in terms of ingenuity. She is a firm believer in the system and is the object to which all other Handmaid's fear becoming. In Chapter 13 we witness a meeting between the Handmaid's and the Aunts. Janine tells the story of being gang-raped aged 14, to which the Aunts yell at her, "But whose fault was it?" The rest of the brain-washed Handmaids chant, "Her fault, her fault, her fault!" It's a terrible scenario to be in, but a week later Janine believes what was being said and admits it was her fault.

The high points in this novel include Offred's first-ever sex scene with the Commander in Chapter 16. The chapter is a purely comical look at stereotypical sex scenes. The shocking and violent language works in contrast with the humorous dialogue and avoids, in this moment completely, falling into the trap of being labelled simply another feminist novel. The outing in Chapter 36, the savage scenes in Chapter 43, Janine's birth scene in Chapter 21 is superbly crafted and Offred's meetings with the Commander throughout are true moments of intimacy which she craves so badly. She doesn't know where her husband Luke from the time before is, nor her daughter. She misses them incredibly, but pushes them to the back of mind because she knows dwelling on them would drag her to the jaws of suicide, and she doesn't want that. She believes in escapism, in a better world - she has the hope and her temporary loss of it in frequent situations makes this a gripping read.

OVERALL GRADE: 10/10

I have to say that The Handmaid's Tale is simply one of the greatest books I have ever read. Some people dislike it - fair enough, but I really think that anyone with an open mind and an eye for fantastic, jaw-dropping and thought-provoking novels should pick up a copy of this. If I wasn't limited to the length of this review, I would carry on for hours and hours about the genius of the novel and the way in which it is an important tool in modern day society, but I can't. However, all I will say is that this is an awesome book that I'm enthralled with. I hope you feel the same.

Summary of The Handmaid's Tale

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