This was my first read of an Atwood novel, and one which I chose as it is on the "Image Magazine top 100 books of the 20th century" list. I can see why the image folks appreciated the novel, lyrical prose, dark layered characters, and a very creative addition to the genre of dystopic science fiction. I'd recommend this as a read to anyone who found Cormack McCarthy's "The Road" to be just a bit too stark, but still appreciates the genre. Atwood only hints, though cleverly, at the industrial disasters which cause the social-breakdown that the novel subtly records, but it is a nonetheless convincing tale.