![]() ![]() ![]() Everyone else, go up into Gilead, and take balm. If you have finished the book, and want to compare your reading with mine, I ruin the suspense by spelling out just what I think Robinson is hinting at here. What elicits tears at the book’s close, I think, is a highly unusual literary experience: Robinson (in her role as author of this creation) allows even a faithless reader to feel the possibility of a transcendent order, thanks to which mercy can reign among people on Earth. The Handmaid’s Tale, acclaimed dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, published in 1985. Ames seized it unawares years before Jack’s recent return and in doing so was belatedly blessed with a beloved wife and child-a joy magnified by his sense that it is unbidden, undeserved. But I think Robinson tempts us to believe-to want to believe-that Ames, the godfather, has been granted a chance in this world to wash away an unforgivable sin committed by that son of his. Again, I don’t want to ruin the suspense. ![]() What adds to the irresistible pull of Ames’ story, as I read it, is that Robinson also plants hints throughout his narrative that Ames is indeed an instrument of God’s providence in a way that he never sees, but that we sense. Don’t be deterred by that sermonic wisdom either, which actually points toward yet another layer of mystery. ![]()
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