Margaret Atwood once said, "Not everyone will like your book. If they do, then you're doing something wrong".

You have all the valid reasons for not liking the book but that should apply to just you and others like you with the same expectations.

The book doesn't show a lot of promise in the beginning that it will get better and I'd agree with you. But I personally feel that the lack of information about the protagonist IS what drives the reader to explore more about her and her past. Atwood doesn't just wanna tell you that this is what happens to Offred and this is what she has to go through everyday. She ensures that the readers empathize with Offred living in this totalitarian regime that specifically denies women's rights and freedom.

The part where Offred recollects from her past again and again might seem annoying but you certainly can't give her background in one go. As I said, getting to know more about her is what drives the readers forward.

Yes, nothing much happens to her that is 'interesting' ( Well a lot happens to her, but not always). But this is the part which the speculative fiction lovers aka Atwood fans, LOVE. The whole concept is to give you chills of how your society could turn out if not checked regularly. I don't know about you, but the people who exclusively love the book will say that it made them feel as if it was all real. You have this conflicting opinion that this is so inhuman and yet humans ARE capable of such a thing. The reason you feel that is because Atwood has studied the history and has incorporated each and every practice in the book from some part of the history and this is what is her brilliancy.

And finally, the conclusion. MAN! My favourite. I know why it would cause an outrage. But the ambiguity is what makes the ending so good. Although, I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Offred had made verbal records of her story rather than in the form of manuscripts because the narration was so bookish and it IS a book afterall. The fate of Offred is left for the readers to decide after giving us small hints of how the regime continued following the event of her 'escape'.

You hating the book doesn't change anything for the people who like it. But I would request you to empathize with them. Your taste lies in a different genre or a different style of writing and that's what Atwood would tell you.