The HandMaid's Tail - Margret Atwood

Fiction

Verdict: Not Worth It (2/5)

Overview:

This is one of those novels that you can't even avoid hearing about. I'm not usually a fan of popular English Fiction, but I thought to give it a try. Just FYI - I didn't see the TV series.

The novel is a dystopian version of society where class and gender determine social standing and who breeds.

What I Enjoyed:

The story was easy to read and only took me a few hours. 

What I Disliked:

I understand the attempt at social commentary and feminism, but I was severely disappointed in this novel. The misogynistic cliches weren't anything new and I was again disappointed in a female author using them, even to make a point. There are plenty of opportunities to point out similar injustices in the real world, there really is no point in catering to sadistic wet dreams about subjugating women. 

Summary:

I know it's popular, and people are enjoying talking about it, but that doesn't make it a good novel. This pseudo-feminism and women buying into the weird romance of this type of crap helps no one evolve. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

~Becky~

The Valley of Masks - Tarun Tejpal

Fiction

Read it!

I enjoyed The Story of My Assassins very much, so when I found another novel by Tarun Tejpal, I thought I should give it a try. I was not disappointed. One of the beautiful things that Tejpal is able to do is spin fantasies. He does it so beautifully that you don't even consider the improbability of what he's saying after a while. It's fantastic.

The Valley of Masks is about a breakaway religious cult who value equality above all. They all look the same, they all have a function. The further you get into this novel, the more social commentaries you see. Religious fervousness, community identiy, us versus them, personal identity, what society holds as ideals, Tarjun Tejpal marches out one by one in a subtle but unignorable way. 

I personally would call this not a horror novel....but something similar. By the end of the book, what was meant to be noble and good has morphed into something  absolutely horrific, that if the narrator is correct, will result in his death rather than a separation from.  The first person narration/memories only enhance the horror because you know that the narrator knows what's coming. What makes it even more disturbing to me is that I know people who hold the same ideals, albeit not to that degree, about relationships and the ideal of identity/ability equating to value. 

I won't narrate the whole story line because that would rob you of the beauty of unwinding the story that Tejpal has so artfully spun, line by line. Definitely worth the read.

~Becky~