Review of Margaret Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale"

How does one review a book that has become a popular classic? The Handmaid’s Tale is one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve put it down. In a new Prologue written several years after the book’s initial publication date, Margaret Atwood explained how the dystopian genre was at the time relatively new to her and that she stuck to a few rules in her writing, one of which being that the storyline would not invent anything (technological device or others) that did not already exist. As a result, the violence, the injustice and how realistic this all seems provide the reader with mental images that are truly haunting throughout the book and beyond.

Much has been written and said about the eponymous TV series, praising the show for its cinematographic beauty, the quality of its actors and how faithful it is to the book (indeed, Margaret Atwood has played a central role in its adaptation). However, there is something that is quite unique about the book and that does not quite translate well into the TV show: the narrator’s internal voice and struggles.

While the TV show adresses this through memories and flashbacks rather skillfully, it falls short in transposing the full extent of the emotions that the reader is faced with throughout the book. Although that is hardly surprising and new in terms of book-to-movie/tv show adaptations, it points to one of the book’s central qualities. So in conclusion yes, you should absolutely still read the book if you’ve already seen the TV show!