Advent 2025 Book 5 – Oppression, resistance and dystopia

The fifth book in my Advent Calendar is one I have read before although I have never owned it. It’s The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. It’s many years since I read this book and the author has recently published a sequel which I haven’t read. A few months ago I thought to myself that I must read this book again and now I have a new copy which is very convenient – it’s in excellent condition.

This is a dystopian novel based on a future world in which fertility is limited and women who can bear children are very much desired, but not loved. Women have no rights in this world and men have all the power. Of course, this is a novel designed to describe our current situation but in an exaggerated form to draw attention to female oppression and the patriarchal power imbalance in our society. Because of a recent television series based on the book, which I haven’t seen, the themes of the story are more well known in our society at large and people comment on them and use images drawn from the events of the book. The edition I have has an introduction by the author and was published after the television series so I shall be interested to see what she has to say about its popularity.

I am glad that I have this book and, if I enjoy it as much as I did when I last read it, I shall probably purchase the sequel as well.

With the book came a sachet of Galaxy drinking chocolate which is always welcome, especially on these cold and dreary days.