I’m not a big fan of dystopian literature, and post-apocalytic narratives, well, they scare the crap out of me. {Kath, are you reading? OMEGA MAN.}

But, but, but: Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is an exception to every rule, in the main down to the fact that the whole scenario — in a future US of A, women are second class citizens whose relative worth is determined by their place in society, and who are identified by the clothes they wear — hmm… yes, this is all too plausible.

That’s as simplistic a précis as it gets, but the book is so complex, and so emotionally affecting, I can’t really do any better than that. When I bought it, I stayed up all night, reading, and I consider it to be one of the key narratives of my life, one that has shaped my views and my politics. I don’t know where my copy of it is, and I often wish I had it to hand.

The images that I retain of something I’ve read are usually pretty robust. I mean, all the Harry Potter movies did a really good job of matching my mental pictures, lucky them. I wouldn’t be a fan of illustrations accompanying text, but then I saw these amazing images, and damn, they are not only gorgeous but they also perfectly capture the tone and atmosphere of Atwood’s terrible future.

I’ve been sorry for years that I can’t find my Handmaid’s Tale, and now, well, looks like I’ve found the perfect edition with which to replace it.