Droughtlander suggestions: Pick up The Handmaid’s Tale to read

It’s all about The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood during Droughtlander

You’ve likely watched The Handmaid’s Tale during one of the Droughtlanders. Have you read the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood yet?

If not, now is the time to do so. If you have, you’ll want to read The Handmaid’s Tale again. You’ll then want to follow it on with The Testaments.

Even if you’ve watched the show but not read the book yet, now is the time to do so. As an Outlander book fan, you’ve likely said there are more details in the novels than the show can fit in. That’s exactly the case with The Handmaid’s Tale.

What is The Handmaid’s Tale about

For those who have avoided the show and the book, the novel is set in a late-20th century New England location. The United States government has been overthrown and Gilead has been created in its place. This patriarchal society makes it illegal for women to read and work. In fact, they can’t even own their own bank accounts! It’s completely racist, sexist, homophobic, and bigotist.

We’re introduced into the world through Offred’s eyes. She is the handmaid to Commander Fred, and her only job is to get pregnant. The population is dying out and women who have proven to be fertile have been abducted to become handmaids.

It’s a dark, dark world. There are elements that sound like it’s straight out of the 18th century, but set in a world close to 1985, when it was written.

The sequel, The Testaments, tells the story of three individuals after Offred’s time. We get a chance to see what Gilead looks like from the outside and the fight to bring justice to the country.

Why read the book through Droughtlander

It’s certainly not going to take you long to get through The Handmaid’s Tale or The Testaments, but the books are worth it as an Outlander fan. They bring elements of the 18th century to the modern-day world. Those injustices against women, people of color, and non-heterosexual people are all brought up throughout the book.

There is also a focus on life. The novel gives us a look at the everyday life of a handmaid, which allows us to put ourselves into this world.

This is a world we experience from Offred’s point of view. I often find first-person POV novels limiting because we don’t get to know the other characters, but in this book it has a huge advantage. We don’t know who we can or can’t trust, viewing everything from Offred’s view with her thoughts.

We also get the same with The Testaments. While that novel is told from three points of view, we only learn what the characters learn. We still aren’t sure who we can and can’t trust throughout, leaving things suspenseful and intriguing.

Now is the time to try something different. If you’ve been putting off The Handmaid’s Tale for some time, use Droughtlander as a time to read it.

The Handmaid’s Tale is available with two-day free shipping with Amazon Prime.