I read the Handmaid's Tale yesterday, finally. I'm disappointed. I did not like the writing style at all, there was no real story, just descriptions. And then it just ended. No conclusion or anything.
My best guess it's because the TV show was so intense and well made (at least the earlier seasons), and the book was... Not? Episodes would stay with me for days, but I'm struggling to recall the book already.
Maybe the book is supposed to be unsatisfying to go with the theme. Nothing much happened after Gilead was created, every day just kinda goes by. Sure there was some torture and death, but... Eh.
Maybe I was expecting too much after all the praise it got. It's my first Atwood book, and way way outside of my usual genre (fantasy, scifi, horror).
What did you all think of it?
You make a good point, abuse of women is normalised. I think in this particular case (book vs show), the show was a lot more visceral, whereas in my opinion it was kinda of 'glossed over' in the book. It might be part of the writing style - I usually read books in first person, so it's like you are the character. This story was written so detached, I didn't feel much for anyone.