East Markham Book Club
The Handmaid's Tale
by Margaret Atwood
by Margaret Atwood
'It isn't running away they're afraid of. We wouldn't get far. It's those other escapes, the ones you can open in yourself, given a cutting edge'
Offred is a Handmaid. She has only one function: to breed. If she refuses to play her part she will, like all dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. She may walk daily to the market and utter demure words to other Handmaid's, but her role is fixed, her freedom a forgotten concept.
Offred remembers her old life - love, family, a job, access to the news. It has all been taken away. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire.
Brilliantly conceived and executed, this powerful evocation of twenty-first century America gives full rein to Margaret Atwood's devastating irony, wit and astute perception.
Next Meeting Sunday 25th June 2017 at 7.30pm
Club Opinion
A dystopian story exploring gender inequality in a future world.
The book provided a lengthy discussion which explored various topics including gender inequality, feminism, the role of the book as an educational tool, the possible future consequences of the subject line and the mood and feelings it invoked in its reader.
Overall the group agreed that this is a book to be recommended and indeed is a 'must read'. Easy, quick paced and interesting, The Handmaid's Tale is a cleverly written book, designed to lead each reader to their own conclusion and perceptions of the meaning of the story.
