Happy Thursday! Taking a small break from our ole faithful Colleen Hoover books (don’t worry they’ll be back shortly!), this weeks blog is gonna be on a book with a bit more seriousness to it. A staple on most aplit high school reading lists, “The Handmaids Tale” is a book that everyone should read, and hopefully this weeks book blog convinces you of it.

Synopsis- Based in The Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian society occupying what was formerly America, this novel follows Offred (Of-Fred), a handmaid who’s single responsibility in life in reproduction for the wealthy family she is assigned to due to declining birth rates of the new age. Offred describes her life during her third assignment as a Handmaid, in this case to Commander Fred who is formally referred to as The Commander. Throughout her first person narration of life as a handmaid, Offred has flashbacks, portions of her life from before and during the beginning of the revolution, from her failed attempt of an escape with her husband and daughter to Canada, to her indoctrination into life as a handmaid. Offred describes the structure of Gilead’s society, including the several different classes of women and the roles they play.

Although he is supposed to have contact with Offred only during “the Ceremony”, a ritual of conception, the commander begins an illegal relationship with her behind closed doors. He gives her “contraband” products, such as old fashion magazines, cosmetics and clothes, meeting with her in his study, where he allows her to read, an act otherwise prohibited for women. The Commander’s wife, Serena Joy, also has secret interactions with Offred, arranging for her to have a secret relationship with the commanders driver in an attempt to get her pregnant, as she believes the commander can no longer have children and wants one. In exchange for Offred’s cooperation, Serena Joy gives her news of her daughter, whom Offred has not seen since she and her family were captured trying to escape Gilead.

After Offred’s initial meeting with Nick, they begin to seeing eachother more frequently, behind the back of Serena Joy. Offred opens up, sharing information about her past with him that could potentially put them both in danger. Through another handmaid, Offred learns of the Mayday resistance, an underground network working to overthrow Gilead. Shortly after Offred’s learning of the Mayday resistance, the Commander’s wife finds evidence of the relationship between Offred and the Commander. Offred contemplates suicide to avoid the public shame that she’ll experience if exposed. As the novel concludes, Offred is being taken away by the secret police under orders from Nick. Before she is put in the large black van, Nick tells her that the men taking her are actually part of the Mayday resistance and that Offred must trust him. At this point Offred does not know if Nick is a member of the Mayday resistance or a government agent posing as one, and she does not know if going with the men will result in her escape or her capture. She enters the van with her future uncertain.

First Line- “We slept in what had once been the gymnasium.”

Last Line- “Are there any questions?”

My Favorite Quote- “Better never means better for everyone… It always means worse, for some.”

Rating- 8/10 This novel is one that has a lot of underlying meaning and messages. While my blog itself is only a very very brief rundown of the overall plot, this is one of those books that I could analyze for hours, with so many different interpretations and ways of comparing this seemingly unrealistic society to the direction ours seems to be turning in some ways. While i’ll admit that it was a bit slow for me to get into at the start, and took me a couple tries to fully commit to the read, this novel is one that I can’t recommend enough. While it leaves off with one of the biggest cliff-hangers i’ve ever experienced, and will certainly leave you incredibly upset with how it ends and searching for extra chapters to answer all your questions, it will also leave you moved in a way that i’ve never been by another book.