After listening to another New Yorker Fiction podcast with Margaret Atwood – which is hilarious and worth a listen, btw – I decided to read The Handmaid’s Tale.
It’s smart, fun, and funny. I recommend it.
Notes and quotes…
I finally GOT why the survivalist / libertarian types are so into cash and decentralized currency when I read this bit:
2979 How would I know, he said. He was punching my number in, studying each number, punching with one finger. He obviously hadn’t done it before. I drummed my fingers on the counter, impatient for a cigarette, wondering if anyone had ever told him something could be done about those pimples on his neck. I remember quite clearly what he looked like: tall, slightly stooped, dark hair cut short, brown eyes that seemed to focus two inches behind the bridge of my nose, and that acne. I suppose I remember him so clearly because of what he said next.
Sorry, he said. This number’s not valid.
That’s ridiculous, I said. It must be, I’ve got thousands in my account. I just got the statement two days ago. Try it again.
It’s not valid, he repeated obstinately. See that red light? Means it’s not valid.
You must have made a mistake, I said. Try it again.
He shrugged and gave me a fed-up smile, but he did try the number again. This time I watched his fingers, on each number, and checked the numbers that came up in the window. It was my number all right, but there was the red light again.
3584 You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, is what he says. We thought we could do better.
Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better?
Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some.
- Read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood