The Handmaid's Tale / Margaret Atwood + Furthermore / Tahereh Mafi

I was more than a bit late reading The Handmaid's Tale, but better late than never!

One of the things I admire about Margaret Atwood is that she isn't afraid of exploring the darkest, most uncomfortable situations imaginable. That's what makes her the Queen of Distopia. In this novel, she creates a world where procreation is at the heart of an oppressive system that controls women's lives. If a woman is infertile, she has no value; if she is fertile, she is assigned to a household where her sole purpose will be to bear a child.

It's absolutely chilling in that it's not entirely implausible for such a society to exist someday... even "here."



I borrowed this book from my library network through ILL.

Rating: ****

***

After reading Tahereh Mafi's Shatter Me trilogy and not being entirely certain whether I loved or hated it, I decided to give Furthermore a fair chance.

There's a clear Alice in Wonderland influence, and not only in the main character's name. We're taken on a voyage to another land, one that holds all kinds of unexpected hazards for the heroine as she seeks for her missing father. One thing that jumps out at Tahereh Mafi's readers is her, shall we say, unique use of language. Thankfully, here it's not as irritating as in her previous novels. In fact, it's the perfect medium to compensate for Alice's lack of colour.

I may have to accept that I'm simply not part of the right demographic... even though I did enjoy the nod to Hillary Clinton.

I borrowed this book from my library network through ILL.

Rating: ***