“We were the people who were not in the papers. We lived in the blank white spaces at the edges of print. It gave us more freedom.

We lived in the gaps between the stories.”

not to be dramatic but THIS IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. no kidding.

where do i even start??

i absolutely loved the plot. the dystopia written about is a feminist’s nightmare - and probably the best i’ve read. (after all, the most chilling, most interesting dystopias are the ones that could be a reality, right?) both the writing and the plot were disturbing but in a really good way. margaret atwood captured offred’s pain, her fear, and her hopelessness so beautifully (especially with the flashbacks); i sympathized with all of the characters and the roles they were forced to play in the regime.

i think, besides the plot, the biggest reason i gave this book 5 stars was the writing. it’s so incredibly simple yet so full of meaning. this woman really went and wrote an entire page about an egg and it was captivating; it wasn’t there just because, it had purpose.

the open ending is probably one of my favorite things about this book. the reader gets to guess what truly happens to offred, which direction her life takes. by leaving some things unsaid, atwood gave the story a lot of power - a lot of possibilities.

this book is going to stick with me, for sure.