The Science Fiction Genre-The Handmaid's Tale by Maragaret Atwood

When I think of science fiction, I always think of aliens or futuristic worlds with mind boggling technology.  As a librarian, I know I shouldn't generalize a genre like that, and Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" is a great reminder that Science Fiction isn't always so far fetched.  The subject matter of this novel is actually a bit scary because it is so realistic! Here are some general characteristics of a science fiction novel:

-set in the future
-space travel
-technology
-parallel universe
-aliens
-paranormal

An important thing to note is that Science Fiction and Fantasy are different.  Science Fiction is usually based on a turn of events that could actually happen in reality based upon science, while Fantasy is not. I know that is still up for interpretation, but The Handmaid's Tale is a perfect example of science fiction.  Atwood's title focuses on a society that has collapsed and been reconstructed by an extremist group.  Here is my review:

 The world as we know it is gone.  There was once a society just like ours in the past, but the government has been overthrown and the President and Congress have been murdered.  The infiltration of a new regime has been secretly set up over time, and that makes it easier for them to begin a new society that is based literally on the bible. Gilead is a place where women have no rights, there is no money, and children are scarce due to toxins and chemicals that have been released due to war.  Because of the lack of children, one of the positions for women of child bearing age is to be a handmaid.  Handmaids are issued to married couples of stature and their only job is to procreate so Gilead can go on.  Offred (handmaids are named by the man they work for, i.e., “of Fred”) is a handmaid who details her existence in this story.  She remembers the past, her old life (where she worked in a library!), her husband, daughter, mother and friends.  This is Offred’s third post being a handmaid, and also her last.  If she doesn't succeed this time she will be sent to “the colonies,” where women who have no use go and live in extreme poverty cleaning up the toxins of war.  Offred starts out following the rules as she should, but Fred breaks the rules one night and she begins to risk everything for the possibility of change in her life.

This book is set in the future, in what I would call a twisted dystopian society.  There aren't too many technical or scientific details included in this book, but we know money is no longer used, reading and writing is not allowed and that there is heavy chemical use in the warfare.  Women are subordinated and are only worth something if they can get pregnant. 

This book really freaked me out because I feel like something like this could happen! I would hope that it never would, but the overthrowing of modern society was done quietly so that no one knew what was happening and by the time it was over, there was no way to fight it.  It also made me realize how much I appreciate having freedom and rights, and not to take that for granted, especially because there are women in other areas of the world who don’t.

I think readers of literary fiction, dystopian fiction like the “our strange world” sub-genre  and even horror fans who like more a psychological read would enjoy this title.

To find out more about Science Fiction and recommended books check out these sites:
Online Science Fiction Directory
The Universe of Science Fiction and Fantasy
Locus - The Magazine of the Science Fiction Field
The Science Fact and Fiction Concatenation