The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

ISBN: 978-0-7352-5330-8     Page Count: 358

Synopsis:

"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 days before, 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 ... " (from the back of the book)

Review:

I enjoyed this book in as much as any female living in 2018 could.  If you have ever read the book or watched the television series based on the book you should understand exactly what I mean about this.  Margaret Atwood is a famed Canadian author, so there isn't really much criticism I can give to her writing, except to say that I find her a tad wordy.  I do recall this to be her style from previous books of hers that I have read years ago in school.  Not to say that wordy is bad, it just makes the reading a little bit slower. 

Having said that, while reading this book a great many emotions were going through my head.

Anger - SOOO many parts in this book were infuriating (intentionally so).  Lets talk about some of them shall we.  Take the main characters name: Offred.  Not her name.  It is a combination of the word "of" (possessive) and the man to which this Handmaid is assigned (so Offred is the assigned property of Commander Fred).  When they are assigned to a new man, they are given a new name.  Property.  That's pretty much what these Handmaids are.  The fact that women are not allowed to read or write, so all words have been removed from any place where a Handmaid may see it.  Signs are simply pictures.  I can't begin to imagine a world where I was forbidden from reading and writing.  There is also the obvious - the rapes of the Handmaids themselves.  The rational used by those in power as to why it is allowed and how it is not to be seen as rape.  Even Offred herself mentions in the book that she can't really say she is raped because she "chose" this - chose in that it was either this or something far, far worse.  That's enough of anger - I'll leave the rest for you to come upon yourself.

Sympathy - I use sympathy instead of empathy on purpose, because to empathize with someone is to put yourself in their shoes, and personally that is something that I cannot do with Offred.  I have NO IDEA what it would be like to live that life.  I sympathize with everything she is going through - every horror - every mundane thing that we take for granted.  But I cannot empathize, for I cannot begin to imagine what life for a Handmaid might be like.  I suppose this is a good thing.  Although thinking about this in turn brings me back to anger.  Because although it may be hard to find someone in North America who has been through something like this, those women are out there.  In third world countries, but I'm sure, also in this country.

Terror - one thing that struck me throughout the entire book is how PLAUSIBLE this entire thing seems!  Let's make something clear, Margaret Atwood wrote this book YEARS ago.  Like years and years - long before the political climate we find ourselves in today.  Even so, the way she explains how the events in the story come about is eerily comprehensible.  Toxicity and pollution causing infertility and declining birth rates - isn't this already happening? (Obviously to a much lesser extent than in the book).  Political turmoil and a push by some to return to "wholesome family values" - again, I see this happening now, in news stories daily.  The reliance on technology that led to the quick and easy downfall of the modern society.  Again, I can totally see how this could all be possible.  The fact that Margaret Atwood wrote about these things soooo many years ago and with such accuracy is absolutely terrifying.

Anyway, I guess the main idea I am trying to get across is that this is definitely a book worth reading.  Just prepare yourself because while loving it, you will also HATE it.  And this is the genius of Margaret Atwood's writing.

Television tie-in:

This is another example of where I wish I had read the book before seeing the show.  After reading the book I found that the show was very similar, yet very different from the book version.  Allow me to explain.  As I watched each episode, I had the same flood of overwhelming emotions as I would later have while reading the book.  Each episode was horrifying and infuriating and cringe worthy all at the same time.

The acting in the show is amazing - it sucks you in to the story and keeps you hanging on every word for fear of missing any little thing.  If you were like me and watched it as it originally came out, you couldn't wait for the next episode to be released.  If you have not yet seen the show you are in luck - you are able to binge watch the entire series in one sitting - although with such disturbing content I doubt you will be able to stomach it all at one time.

There were a lot of similarities between the plot points in the book and in the television show - this makes sense seeing as Margaret Atwood herself was a contributor and writer for the show.  Having said that, the show takes many liberties with the book.  It expands a great deal on the events of the book itself.  Many of the things that happen in the show were at the very least mentioned or referenced within the story - although sometimes it is a very subtle one sentence mention, or the events happen to a different character than in the book.  Normally, I would not be a fan of taking such liberties, but considering the fact that the author herself helped to write each episode, I know that they did not take any liberties that Atwood did not agree with or see as part of her overall vision for the story.

The best/worst thing about the show is that it takes all the horrors of the story and puts them in your face, in living colour.  Things that were talked about in the book that you had a hard time comprehending or imagining because they are such foreign concepts come to life right in front of your eyes.  More than one episode gave me nightmares, I'll tell you that much!

The series ends at the same point as the story - with the exact same parting line in fact.  It is my understanding that there is to be a second season of the series, which I for one and really looking forward to, for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, I loved the show, and the book.  So to get more of the stories and characters is great.  Second, I hate when books end at a cliff hanger - a non-ending as I like to call them.  I am one of those people who likes the story to be wrapped up in a neat little bow - here is exactly what happened to the characters.  All loose ends are tied and no questions are left unanswered.  This book (and show) DEFINITELY do not do this for you.  Many, MANY questions are left unanswered, so the idea of a second season to continue the story is great.  Best of all, Margaret Atwood will be coming back to help write and produce the second season - which means her original vision for where the story would have gone, and what she thinks would have happened to the characters will be included.  It won't simply be some random writer or director deciding how the story should go - the original author is on board to help make the story continue on authentically and organically.

In summary, definitely read the book.  THEN, once you have read the book, definitely watch the TV series.  I don't promise enjoyment per se, but I do promise a good read, an emotional roller coaster, and serious thought provoking