Up-Close and Personal

Atwood's unique style becomes evident from the novel's start. Through the use of strong physical description and a non-chronological story-line, The Handmaid's Tale gives its reader a sense of personal involvement. The narrator follows the leaps of her own imagination and paints a colorful portrait of her surroundings: I can see the gym, Serena Joy's pinched face, and follow Offred's train-of-thought. As she changes scene and shifts tense in Chapter 2, I feel like I have put my book down and am alongside Offred in her daily life, merely reflecting upon past memories.