I thought Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale was an excellent book. I haven’t read her Booker Prize-winning The Blind Assassin yet, but after reading this I’ve definitely pushed it to the top of my list. Three points that particularly distinguished this book were the author’s writing style, her skill in characterization, and the neo-Medieval setting of the novel.

Atwood’s writing style is clear and lucid, and she illuminates the character’s own personal thoughts better than anyone else I’ve ever read; in this aspect she reminded me of the writing of JD Salinger, with large parts of the book appearing to be nearly unstructured internal monologues. Her writing is also heavily descriptive, particularly her illustration of the room where she lives, where she is almost kept in captivity; each surface and angle of viewing is described in great detail, with the author’s use of minutiae painting a clear image in her readers’ minds.

The characterization of the book’s main figure, the eponymous handmaid, is done very well, with several aspects of her personality explored and communicated by the author, sometimes explicitly and at others not. Her thoughts are clearly illuminated and each of her actions is discussed mentally, within herself. The author does not refrain from discussing the character’s very personal, sexual thoughts; there is no censorship of her longings for physical desire – indeed, this is repeated several times throughout the novel. The characterization at this level is very deep, and serves to build a strong and intriguing character, a key point of strength in this novel. This in-depth exploration of personal thoughts, unfortunately, also served as a reason for this book’s banning in certain places.

The setting of this novel, the dystopian former United States governed by what appears to be a religious cult, seeks to (successfully, in my case) instill the fear of this potential world into the reader. Elements of this place are described in detail, painting an overall picture of a pseudo-Medieval land where women are reduced to their basic childbearing function and total loyalty is sworn to each ‘Commander’, a God-like figure who performs the breeding ceremony. The main character goes on to experience a more personal relationship with her Commander, but it’s clear that these figures enjoy total and complete power – another apparent reference to old religion, and the dictatorial power of the bishops and popes of the Middle Ages. By the time Atwood wrote this book in the 1980s, religious hysteria, particularly of radical Islam that was already active by then, was highly relevant. This, unfortunately, continues to grow into the modern age, and has the side effect of ensuring this book’s immortality. It effectively plays on Western society’s fear of a religious police state and acts as a warning to us to prevent this from happening.

The Handmaid’s Tale could almost be described as a successor to the dystopian benchmark 1984, or an extension to Franz Kafka’s The Trial. Its lucid writing style, excellent characterization, and highly relevant themes make it a piece of modern writing that should serve as a warning to the growing religious fear and division within our societies.