The Handmaid's Tale- Margaret Atwood

This week we have Deena, a dear friend and avid bibliophile, writing a guest review of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. It just seemed appropriate, given the current political clime in America and that's all the political discussion you're going to get from me!

Enjoy, friends.

If you aren't Canadian I should let you know, in Canada, so beloved a Canadian icon is Atwood that if you say anything against her works they take away your passport. (kidding of course)
If you are Canadian you have more than likely read this book. If you haven't, then this review is for you.

Written in the mid 80's as I recall, The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel (we are apparently now calling these "Speculative Fiction") set in and around America in 2005.
Atwood, a strong feminist, was horrified at the various political, social and religious trends of the 80's and so wrote this book in response to what would happen if the USA took those philosophies on to a natural conclusion.

The United States has been overthrown from within by an extreme right wing Christian movement, the Constitution has been abolished and the country is now run by a totalitarian theocracy.
All women's rights have been suspended. Women are not allowed to read or be educated. They cannot vote or hold property. In fact, they are property. Women's sexuality is dangerous and they must cover themselves head to toe.
Women are led to understand this is a good thing because they are safer in this world than the previous society they lived in; that would be this society, our society of today.
The role of Handmaid is...well.... basically a societal breeder.

Now, we can call this a dystopian novel or speculative fiction but in truth this is much of what happened to the women of Afghanistan a good ten years after this book was written.
 In my mind, that makes Atwood a Goddamned prophet!

The Handmaid's Tale is written within the first person singular. The Handmaid takes us through her world with her eyes, her words. She takes us from current events to past events, from memories to dreams. Before you are done you are going to feel like you are her.
It is not really an easy read. You have to be willing to hold on to the rope while you are taken on this tour but we quickly come to identify and empathize with her.

The themes of the book are Secrecy and Obedience. The symbols of this book are just too vast to talk about but they sure are fun to observe in the novel.

Atwood herself is a beautiful writer. Her prose is incredible (she is also by nature a poet). She writes in the classical 19th century style whereby there is a slow building of sequence to get to the climax, which is a short climax and then an equally short closure.

I don't like this style myself. It always leaves me feeling dissatisfied with the ending of the story
I also don't like dystopian novels. They always leave me feeling like I want to jump off my balcony.

However! If you are a lover of dystopian literature, of speculative fiction than you need to know this novel is considered one of the best literary examples of any time to date and I absolutely believe that to be true.
For me personally however just because something is good literature it does not mean one has to like it.

This is good literature. I have read it twice. Saw the movie once. It will go down in history as one of the top 3 classic pieces of literature of the 20th century. I however, didn't really "like" the story.
It is one of those stories however you can sit and talk about 30 years after you have read it, as I am now.
I do highly recommend it