A review by jainabee
The Handmaid's Tale (Graphic Novel) by Margaret Atwood

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This graphic adaptation is visually beautiful and conveys the dystopian tone and social complexities of the story in a way that enhanced my appreciation for Atwood's novel. (I haven't seen the TV series) There is enough discretion in the visual details that much is left to the reader's imagination, yet the horror of the story's reality is not diminished. This is dark, depressing stuff, especially since the fiction is not far enough away from the facts.

There's no happy ending

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Classism

Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Abortion, and Death of parent

This is a dystopian classic; enter at own risk.