The Handmaid's Tale - Book Review

I'm not sure why it has taken me so long to read The Handmaid's Tale. It's always been one of those books that I thought I should read but somehow never got around to. In fact, it took me winning a copy of the book to actually start it - and then I finished it within a day.

The book is set in a dystopian future where a totalitarian Christian regime has overthrown the American government and eschewed the rights of women along the way. Largely narrated in the first person, the book explores the subjugation of women within this society through the eyes of the Handmaid of the title, Offred, covering issues such as gender equality, societal class and control and personal identity.

The book is superbly written, with paragraphs of description which are evocative and encompassing - effortlessly sweeping you into the world of the protagonist. Reading the book, I could clearly picture every room and every person clearly, almost seeing it play our in my mind's eye. Despite this the pace of the story didn't feel stilted, and I eagerly devoured every page in order to find out would happen next, while simultaneously hoping that it wouldn't end.

Without wishing to give too much away however, it is the author's separation from her child that was expressed so perfectly, that my throat ached in sympathy. Initially my first thought was 'I can't imagine how that would feel', and yet, through Attwood's prose, I found that I could at least begin to imagine - almost leading to an embarrassing weeping session on the train, as I thought of my own child, tucked up in bed at home...

In many ways, I am glad that I shunned this book in school and read it at this stage of my life. As a working mother, some of the issues explored in this novel resonated far more with me now than I think that they would have done if I had read this at the age of sixteen and gave me a lot more to consider.

I already know that this is a book that I will read again and I'm sure that there are subtleties in the text that I missed in my impatience to read the next section. In fact, I'm considering ordering the York Notes, as this is one of those rare books that I find myself wanting to be sure that I have understood the nuances of. All in all, I strongly recommend this book and will definitely be checking out more of the books written by Margaret Attwood.