There’s a simple explanation for the spike in popularity of dystopian novels like “The Handmaids Tale”, along with Orwell’s “1984” and Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451”.
They all unfortunately seem eerily prophetic and echo the issues facing Donald Trump’s America —
The willingness to surrender personal freedoms for security, state use of propaganda and totalitarianism central to Orwell,
The erasure of knowledge, denial of science and persecution of intellectuals of Bradbury,
but most particularly, a steep rise of religious fundamentalism, archaic patriarchal attitudes and the assault on women’s rights that are central to “The Handmaids Tale.”
The Handmaids Tale has long been a global phenomenon. The terrifying reality of Gilead has been brought to vivid life like never before. The book’s taut prose and unforgettable characters have been adapted into all forms of media.
The excellent television adaptation of The Handmaids Tale, executive produced by by Atwood & it’s star Elizabeth Moss on HULU is now in its second season; it fueled the unmistakable iconography of the red bonnet as a universal symbol of oppression. Much like the white worn in the Suffrage Movement at the turn of the last century and is used by protesters to highlight the plight of women and girls worldwide.
Today, March 26th, 2019, Nan A. Talese / Doubleday Books is publishing the first ever graphic novel adaptation of THE HANDMAIDS TALE.
Bottom line: This book matters.
In the seven years since it’s inception, two years to complete, (this book is composed of over 300 handpainted pages, a hand injury slowed Ms.Nualt down.) “The Handmaids Tale Graphic Novel “ published by Pengiun Random House, is brilliantly realized, and more timely than ever before.
If you haven’t been paying attention, that fundamentalist dictatorship where women are back to being chattel and the birthrate plunged due to disease and toxins? It’s here.
The need to examine themes presented by Atwood’s seminal work are paramount.
The stuning iconography of The Handmaids Tale, female members of a society as part of a repressive social order where thier status is symbolized by the colors women are forced to wear. Combined with a taut narrative that unfortunately has only grown more relevant and significant, lends itself to the graphic novel medium like no other work of dystopian fiction before or since.
Vancouver based artist Renee Nualt, illustrated a review of Atwood’s book The Year of the Flood. Created the Witchling comic, and TCAF (the Toronto Comic Arts Festival) Was chosen by Atwood for this ambitious project.
Ms.Nualt hand-painted each frame of this book using undiluted watercolors straight from the tube, which gives her illustrations a boldness, depth and power typically not seen using watercolors in this medium.
This organic, tactile quality carries through each illustration for me and is the difference between the warm resonating fidelity of vinyl and the austere perfection of digital music. It’s the little imperfections of panting by hand that are unique and no computer can replicate, this human irregularity is where the art dwells for me.
Over 308 pages, this is an easy read. Atwood’s poetic writing style is very precise and observational. This graphic novel isn’t driven by fast-paced action, but vivid details of the world of Gilead, the everyday tensions between the mundane and brutal – trapped between shopping, walking, being waited upon by the Mildreds or waiting upon the wives, and the horrific, public hangings and fear of military checkpoints and monthly state sanctioned rapes, are the place where the Handmaids dwell.
In a way, we as readers must engage the world of this graphic novel as a Handmaid, which Atwood’s words and Nualt’s illustrations combine effectively to do just that. In my humble opinion, no one can read this book and not empathize with the plight of unnamed protagonist “Offred”.
The panels are vivid and because colors define roles in Gilead: red for handmaids; blue for wives; dull green for the Marthas, who serve as domestics. It’s a nice visual shorthand for storytelling. This color coding is cleverly used by Nualt as a storytelling device. The Gilead scenes she only uses Red, Green or Blue respectively, the flashback scenes are pained with a full spectrum of colors that evoke a “normal” period signifying how the world has shifted.
There is magic in every detail of Ms. Nault’s adaptation, thoughtfulness in each panel, an intentionality about every aspect of it, the costuming, the sets and her interpretation of Gileadean iconography is stark, sometimes shocking and beautifully rendered.
The front cover reads, “Art & Adaptation Renee Nault” but Nault didn’t change the narrative. She uses words already written by Ms. Atwood but does a great job editing the book for this visual medium, rendering core phrases and events from the story that deliver the emotional impact as intended from Atwood’s original book.
Particularly, highlighting protagonist Offred’s internal monologue, which is rich with gallows humor and nuanced with the absurdity of her situation, full of dry wit and thoroughly engaging. Offered is as victimized, as all females in Gilead are, but, she’s no victim.
Offred is a survivor. Her talent lies in observing and listening. Adapting to navigate this mad, male dominated world she finds herself in. Which isn’t anything new to women. And this salient fact, taken to the extreme, comes through brilliantly in this adaptation.
Both the original novel and the Graphic Novel end with sharp melancholy and acknowledgment that the world is a sad and beautiful place, Offreds van ride to her unknown fate, and, a council looking back on the history of Gilead. The book is timeless and resonates on both a personal level and a greater societal one, and Atwood’s challenging themes she confronts us with are complimented by Ms. Nualt’s somber yet hopeful style perfectly.
Atwood’s highly anticipated sequel “The Testaments,” to be released in September, will take The Handmaids Tale further, and so I highly recommend this graphic novel as a solid introduction for those unfamiliar with Atwood’s original book and a MUST read for fans of both the “The Handmaids Tale” book and the Hulu show! If I were Language Arts teacher I’d be buying these in bulk!
Available now price $22.95 wherever books are sold. ISBN: 978-0-385-53924-1
Here’s a handy amazon prime link below where you can get the book at a significant discount. You’re welcome!
All art – Penguin/Random House Photo Credits – Jamie Forson & Liam Sharpe