(Hulu)
The Hulu original series The Handmaid’s Tale is based on a dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. The story takes place in a near-future New England. What might the broken United States look like?
In the first few episodes of the series, references to real world places are mentioned: Canada, Washington, D.C. and the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. The original Ofglen (portrayed by Alexis Bledel) also informs Offred (Elisabeth Moss) that St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City was also destroyed by totalitarian government of the Republic of Gilead.
So what does the Republic of Gilead look like?
Atwood never released an official map of her war-torn North America, but fans have tried their hands at creating one. The best one we could find was shared on the forums of AlternateHistory.com, which is dedicated to stories in which one or more historical events happened differently. The map in question was created by user Medibee, with a Gilead flag created by user Monkeyflung. The map is a spoiler.
The above map was created in 2013 and is based solely off the book. A high-quality, zoomable version of the map can be found here.
Whether or not the Hulu version of The Handmaid’s Tale will adhere to it is anyone’s guess. The book is only 325 pages and the series was just renewed for a second season, reports Variety.