The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

March's read for my book club is themed "Back to School." As in, return to the books you read in (high)school and see how they hold up today.

I don't remember exactly what grade it was that I read The Handmaid's Tale. In fact, I don't remember any related projects or essays. And this is both surprising and disappointing. The themes expressed are ones that ought to have been discussed in a classroom - otherwise, why bother to have students read this book at all? But what I do recall of my highschool English class years, was that not many of my teachers were willing to address more serious issues. Not many of my teachers were willing to go beyond the course curriculum, which itself did not delve too deeply into 'dangerous' topics.

Rereading it now I can appreciate it more and suppose I am happy that the school at least introduced me to it and a few other books that I now also intend to reread. I realize that this was likely my first introduction to feminist literature. It takes place in a not so distance future where the feminist movement of the past has been turned inside out. Women are now subjugated, in body, and worse, in mind. The depth of the subjugation is made clear because the tale is told through the thoughts of Offred, who's life was stolen from her. She is now a handmaiden - a womb on two legs, existing only to provide offspring for a Commander and his Wife. The circumstances of this future are extreme, but not impossible to imagine, considering some of the things happening in our own world now.

Some might have issue with the writing style, but it was an element I really enjoyed. I've recently read a few books told in first person narrative and have found them unbelievable. No one can remember things so clearly in that way! Train of thought though. That I can handle. In this case, the style serves to enhance the character, not just to tell the story. At times, she chooses not to pursue a line of thinking because of how it affects her, she recalls her past and the things she took for granted, she speaks in tangents to avoid dealing with the situation at hand, or reconstructs details of events she was not privy to. These moments I liked most because she isn't just reconstructing to tell us what happened. Her reconstructions, sometimes told in two or three different versions, are her way of coping with not knowing about the people she's lost.

This is not a happy ending story. It's a story that has moments of hope, but for both the character and the reader, you're never quite sure if that hope will turn into something positive. You're forced to cling to the tiny moments and objects, as Offred does. This is, for me, one of the great strengths of this book. The reality of the events through Offred's narration sucked me into her plight.

The only thing I didn't like was the long, drawn out epilogue that takes place further into the future in the form of a lecture that is trying to piece together the events of the past. I felt it takes away from the mystery of the book by adding this clinical element.

4 of 5 stars