The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

I am reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It is a sci-fi fantasy based in a futuristic world where there are only a few women left who are able to produce children. These women are forced to breed and if they object they get tortured or exiled to die of radiation sickness. The main character is Offred, who still remembers the times when women had freedom. I just started reading this book and so far the writing is really good and the story is interesting. What I just noticed is that although there is dialogue, there are no quotations; everything is in Offred's mind. What also really adds to the story is how she can relate to times before her imprisonment because it makes her situation even sadder. What is so interesting about the protagonist Offred, is the way she sees other women. For example, when she is walking with Ofglen, Offred does not know if this woman is truly happy or if she is pretending. She also cannot tell if Ofglen can be trusted, and can only speak with her about ordinary things. Throughout the story, Offred mentions something called an Eye. Not much has been told about this yet, but it sounds as though they are government spies making sure these women are following the strict laws of the society. I've also figured out some of Offred's past, her life before the change. First of all, her name was not even Offred, that is what they changed it too, I still do not know what her original name was. She also had a daughter and a lover named Luke. Luke was having an affair with Offred. When his wife found out, they got divorced, and then Luke and Offred had a baby girl. Offred does not know what has become of her child, but she is told to think she is dead. - Beatrice de Vaulx