Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead (formerly the United States of America). The government has been overthrown, and Gilead is being led by far-right conservatives. Handmaids like Offred ("Of Fred") are good for only one thing - getting pregnant. Every month Offred is forced to have sex with the Commander of the home she is living in, while the Commander's Wife lies in the same bed. She is not allowed to read, work, make money, or look directly at another person.Her memories often drift back in time to the days when she was happily married to Luke and raising their daughter; when she had a job, friends, and her own name. All of that is gone now, and all she can do is hope to get pregnant with the Commander's baby; a baby that will be ripped from her arms and given to the Commander and his barren wife to raise as their own. Once she has a baby, she'll be passed on to the next Commander and Wife, in hopes that she'll provide this new couple with a baby as well.
This book was disturbing, yet very interesting. It's frightening to think that our society could ever reach the level that it has in The Handmaid's Tale - a society of barren Wives, housekeeping Marthas, Handmaids, Commanders, and spying Eyes. A society where any wrongdoing will result in exile to 'the Colonies' (toxic nuclear waste dumping grounds) or even death by public hanging. Yet it could happen, scary as it is.
I liked Offred. I felt bad that her entire life was reduced to going to the market and sleeping with the Commander. I think she tried her hardest to make her life as good as she possibly could, given her circumstances.
My only real complaint, besides some profanity and disturbing scenes, was that the book ended rather abruptly. I was left with a feeling of uncertainty about what really happened to Offred.
3.75/5
1 comment:
I don't know if you've ever read 1984, but this sounds as if it follows along similar lines as this book as far as the disturbing future we are heading toward.
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