It is unbearably boring if I am to be honest. I understand that this is perhaps intentional (Offred’s life is very mundane and uneventful, and her entire possibility of a personality is suppressed by the state). Nevertheless, I do not think that just because a certain artistic choice is intentional, it is then immune to scrutiny. I am sure there are a dozen ways to convey the boredom of a life in this environment, without having to sacrifice entirely the investment of the reader. Generally I like the idea, and I think that I would be interested if it was written better. But the prose is bordering on being a nuclear desert wasteland with how dry it is. As in, there is nothing in sight which pleases the eye or has the sound of poetry or is captivating/emotionally engaging in the slightest. And I like those authors that have accusations about the dryness of the prose levied against them (Dostoyevsky, for example). But I truly see nothing in this book. It is completely barren. The language is terribly dull and the endless barrage of mediocre similes are quite tedious. Nothing in the way of a substantive commentary on the environment. The ideas are there, they have good potential. But it is their communication that is key. I am not reading ideas, I am reading prose. And the prose is bad. Very bad. Juvenile even. I find myself fighting to continue reading. Were I not required to study it, I absolutely would have put it down and you would not here me venting my frustration at what little value I see in the book.
As I understand it, however, it is quite popular with a great many people. So I am interested, because I like other perspectives and mine is just one of those: what do people see in the book?
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I found it incredibly gripping despite the mundanity. The banality of evil in full effect.
While you are free to think the writing is bad I suspect you’ll be in the minority there, it did win multiple literature awards.
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A cautionary tale - and a road map for some - certain aspects of which are beginning to be played out as we speak.
If nothing in the book rings out to you, I understand. It’s hard to connect with a character in a situation that you’ve never been in, especially when that character is utterly helpless, and without any way to escape. You’re going to have a strong anti-sympathetic reaction, which may be what’s going on here. A gut-deep “Why didn’t she punch/kick/scream? I would have ripped whomever to shreds!” The TV series has to go to some lengths to create a sense that there is a way to fight.