The Handmaid's Tale

This story enters the horrifying and terrifying category of books where enjoyment while reading it cannot be applied.

“We lived, as usual, by ignoring. Ignoring isn't the same as ignorance, you have to work at it.”

The book describes a totalitarian regime where women lost her rights, free will and individualism. They are not allowed to read, write, work, love, own property, have enjoyments, pleasures, or hobbies. All women wear variations of the same outfits, covering the whole body, and are treated as objects for their utility in the society:
- Red for the Handmaids: fertile women used to produce offspring. They have no names and are considered property of the Commanders they are assigned to
- Blue for the Wives: higher ranking women on society that are married to the Commanders
- Green for the Marthas: household servants
- Brown for the Aunts: responsible for the training of the Handmaids

The scariest part of the story is that all of these happens in a world that was just like ours in the recent past. All these women use to have normal lives and had to adjust to this new reality where they are men's property. It feels terrifyingly possible which is scary as hell.

What I “liked”:
- It is well written and feels dreadfully real.

What I think it could have been done better:
- The timeline is intentionally vague but the story only functions if Gilead was implemented in a short time frame. However, most women behaviour on the book would require severe unsatisfaction with her lives and their world, or unimaginable amounts of coercion, brain washing and torture. I think more details would made their apparent state of acceptance over their condition more believable.
- There's a lack of details about how Gilead happens. We learn it started with a military coup in which the president and most members of Congress were killed but the remaining details remain quite vague. I wanted to know more, not only to understand how something like this could happen, but also so I could feel more reassured that we are not there (yet?)
- The bit including the handmaids sharing child labour pains and leaking milk was a complete non-sense.

This is a very important reading.