In 1985, Margaret Atwood published a book that would forever change the world of dystopian fiction: The Handmaid’s Tale. This novel tells the story of a world that strips women of all rights, conscripting them into subservient roles, while men rise to lead the newly formed Republic of Gilead toward a more Godly way of life. Even if you have not read this modern classic, you are likely aware of it, as The Handmaid’s Tale has infused itself into popular culture over the past few decades. During recent years, the novel has been adapted into an award-winning television show on Hulu. The iconic dress of the handmaids, a red cape paired with a white bonnet which conceals the face, has been used as a symbol of protest against decisions impacting female reproductive rights in the United States. The quasi-Latin phrase “nolite te bastardes carborundorum” and other phrases such as “praise be” have become part of our vernacular. Yet for over three decades, it appeared The Handmaid’s Tale would be the final word on this dystopian world, that Atwood had no intention of writing a sequel.
In November of 2018, however, readers were surprised to learn that there would, in fact, be a final entry in the chronicles of Gilead. Nearly a year later, on September 10th 2019, the long-awaited sequel The Testaments was published. Hailed by many as the most anticipated book of the year, and likely to be one of the best-selling, Atwood stated that “everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, most everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.”
Readers are best served by going into The Testaments knowing as little as possible, so please forgive the lack of detail provided here about the plot. The setting is Gilead, approximately fifteen years after the end of The Handmaid’s Tale. More specifically, it is the middle Gilead period, a time when the regime is beginning to falter. Three female narrators tell the story, weaving together the threads of the rise of Gilead with what has happened in the intervening years, as well as the current state of the regime. One serves in a position of relative power in Gilead, one has been raised as the daughter of a commander in Gilead, and one has been raised outside Gilead. These disparate viewpoints allow Atwood to flesh out the story, as each narrator brings unique knowledge and experiences to the table.
As with The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood draws only upon events that have actually happened across our globe to write this novel. And it is clear that current events carried significant weight in her mind as she returned to the world of Gilead. The underlying themes of women’s rights, human rights, and the struggle to hold on to one’s humanity in the face of the unthinkable all remain just as powerful as in The Handmaid’s Tale. The multiple narrative perspectives then add further layers to consider. Atwood probes how knowledge is power, how information can be manipulated to create the desired viewpoint or effect. She examines how different motives drive individuals toward the choices they make, and then explores how the individual justifies or rationalises those choices over time. She even considers how “good” and “bad” may not be as clearly defined as one may like by illustrating commonalities among the characters no matter how different they may seem.
All in all, The Testaments is the type of book that you are likely to either love or be a bit disappointed about. I fall into the former category. There has been an overwhelming amount of buildup leading to the release of this book, which often contributes to the book falling short of the reader’s expectations. As such, there may be a tendency to say that The Testaments is too simple or that it doesn’t answer enough questions; however, I argue that it was simply thrilling to have another glimpse at Gilead. If the reader can go into this novel with no predetermined expectations about what the book should or should not be, I feel they will ultimately be more satisfied by allowing the reading experience to take them where it will.
Once again, Atwood has created a brilliant world that is both real and imagined, simultaneously foreign and familiar. The Testaments offers a version of the future which echoes the present. It reveals a series of hurdles to test the moral stamina of the characters. And perhaps most importantly, considering the world around us today, it implores the reader to consider if they could survive in such a world, how they would survive in such a world, where beliefs are forced into actions.
Margaret Atwood requires no introduction in the literary world. She is the author of more than forty books, including works of fiction, poetry, and essays. Her novel The Handmaid’s Tale preceded its sequel, The Testaments, by more than thirty years and has been adapted into a wildly successful television series on Hulu. Atwood has received numerous awards for her novels, including the Booker Prize for The Blind Assassin, as well as the Giller Prize and Premio Mondello for Alias Grace.
The Testaments is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
As Atwood unfolds The Testaments, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
