<P> The Handmaid 's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood . The book was originally published in 1985 . Set in a near - future New England , in a totalitarian , Christian theonomy that has overthrown the United States government . The novel is based around the journey of the handmaid Offred , an emphasis on the possessive form `` of Fred , '' as handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must echo the male , or master , for whom they serve . </P>
<P> The Handmaid 's Tale is a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood . The book was originally published in 1985 . Set in a near - future New England , in a totalitarian , Christian theonomy that has overthrown the United States government . The novel is based around the journey of the handmaid Offred , an emphasis on the possessive form `` of Fred , '' as handmaids are forbidden to use their birth names and must echo the male , or master , for whom they serve . </P>
when does the handmaid 's tale take place
when does the handmaid 's tale take place
a near - future New England
a near - future New England