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A review by littlebean01
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
4.0
rather than having a single cohesive thought about this novel, i'm more inclined to share morsels of observations/thoughts that i've had throughout. a note on Atwood's style: while i loved certain lines like "spilling out color" or "we have learned to see the world in gasps," i'm equally puzzled by descriptions like "brown eyes that seemed to focus two inches behind the bridge of my nose."
Atwood humanizes women under an oppressive regime in refusing to shy away from discussing thornier emotions. Offred retrospectively addresses her perceived complicity in the birth of the regime (not literally, but in spirit), narrating, "we lived in the gaps between the stories," regarding the sentiment of feeling far removed from the violence against women reported in the news. Atwood masterfully weaves nonlinear narratives together, inviting the reader to piece the puzzle pieces together with Offred in her exploration of how such a regime possibly came to be.
at the same time, some parts of the novel are disjointed: Offred and Nick's trysts feel like a non sequitur at the end, hastily tacked on — especially since much of the novel chronicles the progression of her relationship with the Commander instead. as a reader, i would've preferred had Atwood used Offred and Nick's relationship as a conduit through which she fleshes out how love operates and looks in a society utterly devoid of it. she touches upon this briefly but leaves the thought unfinished by ending the novel when Offred and Nick's relationship is still nascent.
wonky review, written at 2:30 am, but these are my thots for now
Atwood humanizes women under an oppressive regime in refusing to shy away from discussing thornier emotions. Offred retrospectively addresses her perceived complicity in the birth of the regime (not literally, but in spirit), narrating, "we lived in the gaps between the stories," regarding the sentiment of feeling far removed from the violence against women reported in the news. Atwood masterfully weaves nonlinear narratives together, inviting the reader to piece the puzzle pieces together with Offred in her exploration of how such a regime possibly came to be.
at the same time, some parts of the novel are disjointed: Offred and Nick's trysts feel like a non sequitur at the end, hastily tacked on — especially since much of the novel chronicles the progression of her relationship with the Commander instead. as a reader, i would've preferred had Atwood used Offred and Nick's relationship as a conduit through which she fleshes out how love operates and looks in a society utterly devoid of it. she touches upon this briefly but leaves the thought unfinished by ending the novel when Offred and Nick's relationship is still nascent.
wonky review, written at 2:30 am, but these are my thots for now