Review by natreadthat - The Handmaid's Tale

natreadthat 's review for:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

4.0

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Big yikes 😭

In the not-so-distant future, religious fundamentalists have taken over. The United States is now known as Gilead. Fertile women are stripped of their rights and removed from their families. Their singular purpose is to procreate for the elite. Breed the next generation of mankind.

With the trends of the current political climate and semi-awareness of the show, I knew more-or-less what I was getting into. The book did a great job showcasing the fear and uncertainty the characters felt as their country first took a turn for the worst—women no longer being able to hold jobs, bank accounts frozen, movement being limited. The fear felt all too familiar. As were the powerlessness and complicity the handmaidens were forced into. As their society collapsed, the overwhelming need for numbness to survive was palpable. Though the narrator became lifeless, a husk of the woman she once was, I didn’t expect the visceral blips of the previous life she had with her husband and daughter. Despite it all, the fight she still had hidden away was inspiration in times of darkness.

A difficult read, but one for the books. Now, do I dare watch the show? Maybe not so soon.

Content Warnings