Anther book introduced to me during my 'Contemporary Women's Writing' paper. Margaret Atwood is a brilliant writer and I have since enjoyed many of her novels, including 'The Blind Assassin', 'Alias Grace' and 'Oryx & Crake'. 'The Handmaid's Tale' is still the one that I remember the best, and would happily read again (and again, and again...)
It follows the ordeals of Offred, the eponymous handmaid, who lives in a world sometime in the future where religion has taken over. She lives in the Republic of Gilead and her purpose is simply to breed - many of the wealthy women are no longer able to conceive, so 'handmaids' are brought in for this purpose. They have sex with the men of the house, but there is no love or passion, simply a mechanical transaction. Any transgression of any rule (and there are a lot), and failure to follow the strict doctrine means certain death for Offred (her name, Of Fred, simply marks her owner). However, as the story progresses, we see Offred grow in resolve, knowledge and strength, egged on to some degree by her male 'owner'.
The end is inconclusive and somewhat irritating, but I found it beneficial to read the book again knowing the ending. It's a bit like the movie Fight Club - once you know the end, it changes everything else.
It's been a while since I read this book, so I haven't been particularly specific or interesting in this post. Needless to say, if you are already an Atwood fan, and haven't read this book, get to the book store/library now! And if you've never read an Atwood, this is a good place to start. Have fun, and happy reading!
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