The Handmaid's Tale is...set in the near future, it describes life in what was once the United States, now called the Republic of Gilead, aa monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining  birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans.  The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with bizarre consequences for the women and men of its population.

The story is told through the eyes of Offred, one of the unfortunate Handmaids under the new social order.  In condensed but eloquent prose, by turns cool-eyed, tender, despairing, passionate, and wry, she reveals to us the dark corners behind the establishment's calm façade, as certain tendencies now in existence are carried to their logical conclusions...

According to Wikipedia, Margaret Atwood CC OOnt CH FRSC FRSL is a Canadian poet, author of non-fiction and children's books, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, graphic novelist, and inventor.  she is founder of the Griffin Poetry Prize and the Writers' Trust of Canada.  She is also a Senior Fellow of Massey College Toronto and has won numerous awards and honors for her writing, including two Booker Prizes, and the National Book Critics and PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Awards.  A number of her works have been adapted for film and television.

 

*From the book jacket