Most dystopian novels focus on the political. They discuss how the world was in shambles, or how they're trying to overthrow the government, or some such thing. And while The Handmaid's Tale has this kind of "perfect" society, that's not what this is about--this is far more emotional. 
 Offred is a Handmaid, those whose lives are dedicated to reproduction. She lives in a Commander's home, where once a month they conduct the ceremony that will (in theory) produce children for the Commander and his Wife. The Handmaids are passed from home to home, so each of the Commanders has a chance at a child. 
 It's... eerie. The Handmaids are trained for this sole purpose, to "be fruitful and multiply," as the Bible commands. They are to be silent and obedient; they are to wear floor-length red dresses as a sign of their submission. It's Christian fundamentalism to an extreme, and I won't bother to go into all that's wrong about their interpretation of Biblical principles--all of it is skewed. It's a "pick and choose" method of belief, and it's been adopted by the whole of society. 
 Though it's written as a personal account, more a diary format than a novel, I still wanted... more, in a sense. Offred spends a lot of time being submissive, and observing her surroundings, and thinking about the past. The past was fascinating. I wanted to know more about it, and what happened for her to land in this role. I wanted to know more about how women just lost their rights. Yes, there were marches and riots, but how could you simply control half of the population in such a short amount of time? Offred remembers her former life vividly. Has all this truly developed in what could have only been a decade or so? 
 The details that are there are unsettling, and it could have been even more unsettling if I had more details. 
 Also: (view spoiler)[How are Handmaids selected? Or, more specifically, why is Janine a Handmaid? If she's known to have miscarried in the past, why would she be recruited to procreate? (hide spoiler)]