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Atwood has spoken about how the current political climate, particularly the developments ushered in since President Trump’s election, has shaped how she views the book.

Writing in the Book Review in 2017, Atwood considered whether it was a “feminist” novel and reflected on her writing process: “Back in 1984, the main premise seemed — even to me — fairly outrageous. Would I be able to persuade readers that the United States had suffered a coup that had transformed an erstwhile liberal democracy into a literal-minded theocratic dictatorship?”

And our chief TV critic, James Poniewozik, looked at the parallels between Gilead and our present day. “I hate to say the story is newly relevant, as if it weren’t for three decades,” he wrote. “But face it: When you have a president who talks about women as if they were squeeze toys, who implied a tough female journalist was on her period, whose administration gathered a room full of male politicians to discuss women’s health coverage — well, the viral marketing takes care of itself.”

And of course, the story has had tremendous cultural reach, influencing everything from activism to high fashion.

Looking for more dystopian fiction?

There’s plenty. Women’s anger has fueled a whole new field of books, from thrillers to sci-fi.

You might check out Leni Zumas’s novel “Red Clocks,” which imagines a world where abortion is again made illegal. Joanne Ramos’s debut novel, “The Farm,” raises questions about fertility, motherhood and money as poorer women act as surrogates for wealthier people.

“The Water Cure,” by Sophie Mackintosh, poses a seemingly straightforward question: What if masculinity were literally toxic?

Finally, in Naomi Alderman’s “The Power,” one of the Book Review’s 10 best books of 2017, the appearance of an “electrostatic power” upends gender dynamics across the world but serves as a reminder: No one is immune to the intoxicating effects of power.

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Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/29/books/testaments-margaret-atwood-handmaids-tale.html?emc=rss&partner=rss