For the month of June, Overbooked and the Night Owls held a joint discussion group for the Margaret Atwood classic, The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel centers around the character of Offred named after the Commander she comes to serve at the beginning of the book. Offred recounts her time forced to serve as a handmaid, a subservient and oppressive role created in the new totalitarian state of Gilead. A handmaid’s sole purpose is to bear children for sterile couples who serve as the government's top officials.
Going into the book, members of both groups knew that this was going to be a “heavy” read and that sentiment did not change. Atwood weaved several hefty themes together throughout the novel, such as government control, gender roles, and free will. These are all topics that members agreed are still very much as prevalent today as they were almost 40 years ago when the book was originally published. This alone left a deep impression on members and for some, was the best aspect of the book. However, some members felt that the book was very slow and boring and made it hard to really engage with the story. Others felt that the monotony was intentional and helped to further underscore the quiet horror of Offred’s existence. Another critique was that the story’s non-linear plot muddled their understanding of when or where things were happening throughout the book. Again, other members viewed this as a deliberate choice given what is revealed in the final chapter of the novel.
The closing comment from the members was that while The Handmaid’s Tale is not a “fun” read or a book that could be recommended to just anyone, it is a deeply thought-provoking book that lends itself well to a book club discussion and one that will stay with you long after you’ve read it.
The final average rating was 4.2 out of 5 stars
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