The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Scared. Unsatisfied. Utterly scared for the two characters that I was shipping. (Yes, I was shipping characters, I couldn't help it)
I had begun reading this book in the summer of 2023, reading it at a slow pace, and had been intrigued by the style of writing and how it was written and formed; and the conversations that took place and the subtle changes in the present, past and future tenses.
I had enjoyed the dialogue as it had kept me engaged, and the story was interesting, though hard to read and to fully understand the subtle hints and messages behind the words, but I got there.
The novel is about a world where there was a crisis, where the number of babies being born had been reduced, and fewer women were able to become pregnant and give birth to healthy babies that remained alive until adulthood.
The story follows a 30 year old woman who is a handmaid, acting as a ‘surrogate’ for a couple: she has to get pregnant for the couple by having sex with the wife’s husband- she talks about her negative feelings of the wife and the dynamic between them. Readers and I learn that there have been general and religious restrictions placed upon the handmaids, and we learn about how there were two worlds, one from the past and the present, were different. The woman- known as Offred- narrates and tells us her journey as a handmaid, displaying her feelings to her now adjusted situation, talking about certain rituals for trying to conceive a baby and giving birth, and meetings that take place in the new world.
By the time I had finished, all I was left with was fear and a thirst that had not been satisfied. Atwood had remarkably withheld information throughout the entire novel, only dropping a little information here and there. But she has also left the readers- including I- wanting more and unsatisfied.
Unanswered questions are all I'm left with.
Is the story going to have a happy ending? I need the sequel ASAP.
The sequel is- fortunately- out, but the only misfortune is that I am studying this book for A levels, and reading the second book is said to add bias to my essays and it would be unwise to read the second book, when it is unnecessary.
So, I have to wait until after I'm done with my school and exams.
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