Book Club: Week Seven

Introduction

     "Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now..."
     I'm not sure how to even describe this book. The dystopian setting made it seem so farfetched and hard to grasp almost, but at the same time I could see the story unfolding in our own culture. It's a scary thing to think about, but to stay centered I will just say that this was a wonderful book. It's beautifully written and the story was intriguing to say the least.

***SPOILERS***

 I got a lot of recommendations for this book, so I'm hoping you guys will all give me some good feedback. What did you think of The Handmaid's Tale? As a fan of dystopian books, I really enjoyed the setting. I found it a little hard to adjust to at first (mostly trying to understand the flashbacks between The Red Center and her position at the Commander's house), but I think that's sort of the point of books. You're supposed to be confused and gradually uncover more and more. I found this to be very prominent in this book. As the story progressed, I knew that there was no way Offred was going to be able to dismantle the society built around her, but I was a little unhappy with how it ended. But in the best way you can be unhappy with an ending. It seemed pretty fitting, but I longed for more. I wanted to know where she ended up and if Nick was right, that it was safe for her to go with them... Did you feel the same or were you left content with the ending? One of my other problems that I had with the book was that I felt like I was supposed to understand more of it. Like I bet there was lots of deep symbolism behind the Eyes, and I really didn't comprehend the Gilead mentionings either. I've never been one to decode these things (metaphors/symbolism/imagery) so easily, but I felt like this book was just seeping with them. Did you pick up on any important symbolism? Or in more widespread terms, how did you feel about this book? And what do you think the meaning of it was? Did you take it as a warning, or was it simply a story? It's interesting to think about as we hear about banning abortion centers/birth control/tampons in certain parts of the country and the constant scrutiny against women everywhere. 

Summary

     Overall, I rate this book 9 out of 10, because I just longed for a more revealing ending. It's a wonderful book, despite it's scary outlook on reality. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys dystopian books, but also to any feminists/girls who see the injustice. Obviously their setting is far of from the one we live in now, but do you think we could ever wind up there? Please leave any responses in the comments below!

What did you think of this week's book?

Week Eight: Life as We Knew It by Stephanie Pfeffer

Week Nine: Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess