Reading any Margaret Atwood for the first time is a joy and a delight. Despite my status as a confirmed sci-fi tragic, I have to say that my favourites of Atwoods are her novels that are grounded in realism; I often feel that’s where she really sinks her teeth in. After all, though The Handmaid’s Tale makes its point via the tried-and-true ad absurdum route, and is an important book for all high school-age males to read, it’s sometimes easy to dismiss as an extreme and distant fantasy.