I've been a fan of dystopian/post apocalyptic fiction for a while, although I usually stick to the Young Adult genre because books get right inside my head and I like to filter out the more graphic stories a little! But last year I stepped outside my 'safe' list and read Game of Thrones, which can be quite disturbing in places, in terms of discrimination, sex, violence and just generally bad human behaviour.
I've seen The Handmaid's Tale is described as 'the original dystopian story' in more than one place and currently many blurbs from books on my 'to-read' list, say 'if you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you'll enjoy xxxx' and much as I love all these recent dystopian young adult books, it was time to push my own boundaries and stop being afraid of 'grown up' books and 'classics' (albeit a modern classic!)
So The Handmaid's Tale is set in the 1980s in what was formerly known as the USA. It is told through the eyes of Offred (meaning 'of Fred', or that, she belongs to Fred) who is a young woman forced to work as a 'handmaid'. Society as we know it has broken down and a totalitarianism Christian cult have take over the running of affairs and they are intolerant to many human rights we know and take for granted. Environmental problems means much of the world is intoxicated by poisonous radiation which is affecting fertility.
Women are considered the property of men or the servants of men, useful only for menial tasks, servitude and having babies. The upper class women escape some of this though many of them are infertile and typically a household consists of an infertile couple, who have servant women to work in the kitchen/household and a handmaid. A handmaid is kept under strict control and her body is not her own. She is checked for fertility once per month and is expected to have sex with the 'commander' often while his wife is present, to try and get pregnant. The child, if born healthy, which is not commonplace in this intoxicated world, is immediately handed over to the couple and she is expected to move on and serve in a different household.
If she does not successfully produce a baby after a number of years, she will be sent off to the 'Colonies' which are dire places, where toxic waste needs dealing with. People sent to the colonies have a life expectancy of 2-3 years.
We follow Offred through her placement with the Commander and his household and she tells her story of her new humiliating life and she gives us flashbacks along the way of how she remembers her life before, when she loved, and when she was a mother. We gradually get to see the events that led to this totalitarian state and how things unfolded and how she adapted.
Atwood has a flat style at times and my main criticism of the book is that the scene setting is lacking and is a little 2-dimensional. However, I believe this is partially intentional, it adds to the grey, drab atmosphere and highlights how frightening society has become.
I was absolutely gripped from start to finish. I read most of this book with my teeth clenched and my eyes wide. I loved how Atwood teases you with snippets of flashbacks and I was desperate throughout the books for more information about how Offred came to find herself in this situation.
The ending, is fantastic and unique in style... don't do as I did - I nearly dismissed the final chapters, thinking they were an appendix or acknowledgements!
I'm no longer afraid of 'classics' or 'grown up' books, and I'll be adding more Atwood to my 'to read' list in future!
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