Published in 1985 by Canadian author Margaret Atwood , is a seminal work of dystopian speculative fiction set in the Republic of Gilead—a patriarchal, totalitarian theocracy that has overthrown the United States government. The novel follows Offred, a "Handmaid" whose sole social function is to bear children for the ruling elite, known as Commanders, in a near-future plagued by environmental disaster and a catastrophic fertility crisis. Core Narrative and Structure