The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Lynnie

fiction, sequel

I did not expect to like The Testaments as much as I did, but there you go. This was a novel that didn’t need to be written and yet I was drawn back into the world of Gilead easily. Because we’re all now familiar with the religious extremism and misogyny of The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood is able to tell a different story. Rather than a warning of what could be, The Testaments provides hope; this is how we get ourselves out of the mess. Atwood reminds us, particularly through the vantage of Aunt Lydia that the only way out is through; you first have to survive in order to make a difference.

I was not expecting to hear Aunt Lydia’s story, nor to be so compelled by it. Combined with the narration of Offred’s two daughters, Agnes and Daisy, we are shown the beginning of Gilead, how they are viewed by the outside, and, through Agnes, what it’s like to be raised in such an extreme society. While Agnes’ and Daisy’s story lines were similar in tone, Aunt Lydia’s tale alone is worth reading this book.

I don’t know if I enjoyed it more because I re-read The Handmaid’s Tale so recently, but I do think having it fresh in my mind helped me feel more invested in the story.