It’s been 34 years since The Handmaid’s Tale was first published. If you’ve spent any amount of time agonizing about the fate of the people in Gilead, then fret no more. In The Testaments, Margaret Atwood at long last takes us through the denouement of a story that left us at the edge of our seats for much too long.
In this long-anticipated sequel, we are presented with the first-person witness testimonies of three women–Agnes Jemima, Daisy and Aunt Lydia. These three strikingly different women, experiencing Gilead in strikingly different ways, become the catalyst for what could mean the end of the theocratic regime.
Through Agnes Jemima’s account, we are taken deeper into Gilead and its way of life. Her POV brings us the insider perspective of a mind brought up in Gilead. Through her, we see what it’s like to not know a different way of life. We see what it’s like to not understand what we outside of Gilead see as “normal.” We experience her innocence and her inner turmoil when, in spite of herself and everything she’s been brought up to believe, she begins to question the details of her world.
Daisy’s perspective is one that’s more relatable to the reader as an outsider. Growing up in Canada, her knowledge of Gilead is based on what she’s learned in school or heard on the news. Her life, however, is completely thrown in the air when she finds out that her origins are actually based in Gilead. What’s more, she must now work with rebel forces in Canada to infiltrate Gilead. Daisy must help bring an end to it before it destroys her first.
Aunt Lydia’s account brings us the perspective of someone working within the high ranks of Gilead. She takes us into the darker crevices of the sham Gilead actually is. Through her narrative, we see without filters the rot from a constitution constructed on murky grounds.
As the stories in these testimonies progress, the lives of these three women become entangled. It’s hard to say whether that’s due to fate or the secret maneuverings of a Gilead insider who’s been working steadily, since the dawn of its inception, to bring it down.
The Testaments is not an action-packed or suspenseful book. The ways in which these new characters are related to those in The Handmaid’s Tale aren’t concealed for long. There isn’t much mystery about the way these characters will come together to find an end to Gilead. But the how is not the focus point of The Testaments.
The novel focuses more on the nuances of life within Gilead–the way its people make it work, the things they do to remain under the radar, the loopholes they find to help each other survive. It’s more of a microscopic look at how a society built on repression and lies can sustain its dominance over its people for so long. It’s about how every totalitarian regime sooner or later meets its fated end. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for action and graphic violence, that’s not what you’ll find in The Testaments.
In spite of the lack of action-packed scenes, The Testaments brings a satisfying unraveling to a story that began more than a third of a century ago. Whether you’ve read The Handmaid’s Tale within that time, or you’ve been caught up binge-watching episodes of the series, The Testaments will answer questions that will finally put our curious minds to rest.