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A review by literaryjunarin
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Okay, first let me say that I lost sleep because of this.
So for a quick summary, in this story, there were nuclear explosions which made everything toxic, the birthrate declined because women became infertile, North America had a military coup wherein they shot the President and killed the congress with a machine gun. Brutal. So after that, slowly, not sure how many months or years passed, while the military takes control, the Republic of Gilead was established. In the Republic, women were stripped off of their rights. First their job, then their money was transferred to their husbands or a male next of kin, their name, then strict social roles were implemented. Fertile women were forced to become handmaids given to Commanders.
The narrator, named Offred, is a handmaid. She's already on her 3rd family, she failed to get pregnant from the last 2 commanders.
The narration constantly switches between past and present, which I liked. I was on the edge of my seat every time the past is being told. I was so curious how the Republic was established, the events before it led to the present situation, and how the narrator became a handmaid. The narration of the present is very slow. The narrator mostly just describes everything. Because a handmaid has nothing to do except to get impregnated once a month and go daily shopping.
So what horrified me? First, I got so scared thinking about women losing their independence. Imagine not being allowed to work, not have your own money, to not have control over your own body. Imagine living without love or desire. Imagine your sole purpose is to keep your ovaries healthy and to bear a child. Imagine not being allowed to read and write.
This is what kept me awake last night. I was thinking, is this possible? Can this happen? Freedom is fragile. If power is taken by the wrong people, well, hell's bells. If this happens, can I fight? Will I have the desire to live? I found Offred's prayer in this book really, really desperate and horrifying. Especially the line where she asked God to at least give Heaven to those who died because people can make Hell themselves.
So, does that sound like I loved it? I have no idea.
So for a quick summary, in this story, there were nuclear explosions which made everything toxic, the birthrate declined because women became infertile, North America had a military coup wherein they shot the President and killed the congress with a machine gun. Brutal. So after that, slowly, not sure how many months or years passed, while the military takes control, the Republic of Gilead was established. In the Republic, women were stripped off of their rights. First their job, then their money was transferred to their husbands or a male next of kin, their name, then strict social roles were implemented. Fertile women were forced to become handmaids given to Commanders.
The narrator, named Offred, is a handmaid. She's already on her 3rd family, she failed to get pregnant from the last 2 commanders.
The narration constantly switches between past and present, which I liked. I was on the edge of my seat every time the past is being told. I was so curious how the Republic was established, the events before it led to the present situation, and how the narrator became a handmaid. The narration of the present is very slow. The narrator mostly just describes everything. Because a handmaid has nothing to do except to get impregnated once a month and go daily shopping.
So what horrified me? First, I got so scared thinking about women losing their independence. Imagine not being allowed to work, not have your own money, to not have control over your own body. Imagine living without love or desire. Imagine your sole purpose is to keep your ovaries healthy and to bear a child. Imagine not being allowed to read and write.
This is what kept me awake last night. I was thinking, is this possible? Can this happen? Freedom is fragile. If power is taken by the wrong people, well, hell's bells. If this happens, can I fight? Will I have the desire to live? I found Offred's prayer in this book really, really desperate and horrifying. Especially the line where she asked God to at least give Heaven to those who died because people can make Hell themselves.
So, does that sound like I loved it? I have no idea.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence