Team Writer's Block is proud to call their
Canadian Lit selection to the podium,
The Handmaid's Tale, another classic from
Margaret Atwood.
I read this book shortly after the movie (starring Natasha Richardson, Robert Duvalle, Aidan Quinn & Fay Dunaway) came out in 1990. It fascinated me, with its themes of equality, freedom, feminism and religion - all turned on their head and set in a future not too difficult to imagine occurring, which is even more true now.
From Wikipedia:
The Handmaid's Tale takes place in the
Republic of Gilead, a country formed within the borders of what was originally the
United States of America after nuclear, biological, and chemical pollution rendered a large portion of the population sterile and a staged
terrorist attack killed the
President and
Congress. After the attack, a revolution occurred which deposed the United States government and abolished the
US Constitution. New theocratic governments, including the
Republic of Gilead, were formed under the rule of a
military dictatorship.
The story is told from the point of view of Offred who, as a fertile woman, has been enslaved as a "Handmaid", and explores the society of Gilead through her attempts to escape to Canada, her indoctrination at the Rachel and Leah Re-Education Center, and her life as a handmaid. The story's narrative is disjointed and out of order and ends abruptly, which is revealed at the end to be caused by the fact that the tale was narrated onto a series of unnumbered audio tapes.
Atwood discusses religion & The Handmaid's Tale:
The Trailer for the movie....possibly a little NSFW...