Life Imitating Art Imitating Life?

This week saw the launch of the long awaited sequel to the novel: The Handmaid's Tale. It may have been convenient timing for the publicity of the novel, but about two weeks ago there were quite a few people online who spotted eerie similarities between some of the plot points of the original novel with some of the decisions being made by out government!

As one newspaper stated:

This could be considered a slightly hysterical reaction to the news but it is another scary example of how easily life can sometimes imitate art.

Is it a hysterical reaction or an example of an author with incredible foresight? Whilst that will largely depend on your own perspective of the world, one thing that can't be denied is the critical and commercial success of The Handmaid's Tale television adaptation.

If you've not seen it, watch it under advice - it is dark, unflinching, violent, challenging & brilliant. Here is the trailer for the first season...