January Intermission: The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

Hi there!

Welcome to our January Intermission for Margaret Atwood's infamous 1985 novel - The Handmaid's Tale.

Trigger Warning: violence, gore, cults, abhorrent treatment of women, drugs, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, abuse, brainwashing, fundamentalist religion, war, rituals, biblical language, and references, suggested suicidal/homicidal ideation

Overall

Firstly, what an incredible story so far - We're honestly so excited for the second half of this book. Brieanna especially can't wait to read the rest of this first installment and then the sequel later on. Because we knew what Offred was thinking the entire time, we were able to carry through the story very intimately with her. Because we are more connected with ourselves as adults, it was easier to connect with Offred in more ways than one. We can see parts of her world in the world around us, in both good and bad ways.

In addition, the political climate of 2025 USA had us primed to read this book. This book is wickedly important and poignant. Buy a physical copy, keep it safe, and read it to your families—especially young women. Having a government of extremes is never good for a country, no matter how you slice it - and failing to separate church and state takes another step into a society that does not serve or protect the people, but instead protects the posers at the top.

The Writing

The story might be a little slower overall, but what kept us going through those slower moments was how incredibly well-written it was. After each piece of dialogue, Offred has her thoughts on each moment in real-time in such a way that is quite engaging to the reader. It's a wonderfully artistic combination of poetry, prose, and dialogue that conveys complex feelings in a very specific and relatable way. Offred, while living a life simply to be pregnant and somehow survive, experiences a rich internal environment that is painted in memories and fears, as well as dreams, visions, and plans. Offred exists to us very clearly to exhibit the multi-dimensional facets of womanhood in every way, as a human.

The Plot

The first half of this novel is focused primarily on the world-building of Gilead, a futuristic, fundamentalist theocratic Christian USA. What's important here is that it's a new way of life in the real world that we live in. There is not a fairyland. This is the contemporary USA. It's a slippery slope and we're on it.

Following Offred's choice to commit the sin of female intellect with the Commander by playing Scrabble, she goes alone to her room and is once again disillusioned with the complicated and oppressive world around her. Yes, they have dirt on each other, but in the end, it's her word against his, and she'll lose every time.

Where We Go From Here

We are looking forward to seeing what secrets lay in the world for Offred, and how she can succeed in her internal struggle moving forward. We are also looking forward to how the story progresses - not much has happened plot-wise, and we're interested to see where it goes.

With love, see you soon!

Stay Strong

Ceraya & Brieanna