The story is set in the near future in America. The government has been overthrown and replaced by a new totalitarian regime. Women are no longer allowed to work or to have any money. The environment is destroyed by toxins and as a result the ability to reproduce is becoming rare. Offred is a handmaid. Her purpose is simple, to breed. She used to have a family of her own, but their whereabouts are unknown, if they are alive at all. She is slowly running out of time. If she doesn’t deliver she’ll be branded infertile and sent to the colonies. She doesn’t know who she can trust; anybody could be a secret agent – The Eye. And on top of that she has got herself into a very dangerous situation in which one step in the wrong direction could cost her everything.
The beginning was a little bit confusing. I found myself picking up fragments of stories from her past and present. I felt as though I was thrown into the middle of the story without knowing what had happened and why. But as the story progressed I was able to fill in the blanks myself and was glad that I hadn’t given up reading. It was suspenseful and near the end I couldn’t put the book down. I was very disenchanted to find out the story was left unfinished and in need of a sequel. I would also welcome to know more about her family, if they survived or not, but I assume it was intentional. Overall, it was a very addictive, if bleak, outline of what might happen one day.
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