Dark, twisted and honestly truly harrowing from start to finish. This wasn't an enjoyable read by any stretch of the imagination but is one that will stick with me for a long time.  The Handmaid's Tale is probably even more relevant and terrifying now–with the world turning to worrying political extremes– than it was when it was first published in 1984. The bodies of women disregarded and exploited and their choices stolen from them...it shouldn't be timely in the year 2024, but somehow it is. 

The book's concept was very well executed, but I think it lacked somewhat from a pacing and world building perspective. The character of Offred was a little bit of a blank canvas, but I gather that she is written to reflect how the everywoman would survive in a society like Gilead, not dissimilar from Winston Smith in Orwell's 1984. 

Beyond that, I think this is an important novel in the dystopian/speculative fiction canon and I'm glad I read it.