It’s always a challenge to review a book that is considered by many to be a classic, but I’ll do my best!
Originally published in 1985, this is a dystopian story, written before the genre even existed - it would have then been shelved with Science Fiction.
Offred was an ordinary woman, happily married with a daughter she loved and a job and financial independence - someone we can easily relate to. But then her world begins to change, and, in the blink of an eye, she loses everything she holds dear. For the female reader, what happens to her is terrifying.
Dystopian novels work best when the reader can relate to the world that is created, and truly believe in the horror of this new world. Atwood succeeds in making you believe.
Considering the current situation in the U.S.A., I found this novel particularly chilling.
This is, indeed, a classic.