I didn't ever expect to read a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. Part of the book's strength is the mysterious epilogue at the end, placing Offred's testimony in the context of the short-lived Republic of Gilead. The suppression of the protagonist's voice is the point.
However, The Testaments majestically balances the audience's desire for the continuation of Offred's story without sacrificing verisimilitude within the imagined historical context of Gilead. The three points of view remind me of the latter two books in the MadAddam trilogy. Each viewpoint is equally sharp, distinct, and converges masterfully to the whole. This time, we get a perspective from outside the Republic of Gilead, in Canada, and how that society has evolved and been influenced by its neighbor. The perspective within Gilead is that of a privileged child rather than a reviled Handmaid, and what sticks is that it is ultimately almost no less horrifying. This is a world in which power has been thoroughly stripped from women, and a generation is growing up without even knowing what they lost. The wily old minds of past generations are still at work, however, and the machinations of a certain Aunt Lydia are not over.
Using Aunt Lydia as a viewpoint character is a compelling choice. After reading The Handmaid's Tale, many women wonder how Lydia and her ilk could have done what they did. We get a sense of that here, but more so, the utter ruthlessness of the character, and how crucial that has been to her survival. Who Lydia is is shaped so utterly by her response to her environment--how many other women are like that? the reader is brought to wonder.
The Testaments is right up there with The Handmaid's Tale as an Atwood classic. I suspect its existence, however, is a product of its environment. I believe Atwood has said she wrote this book because of what's happening here, today. We need to be reminded of the horrors we have perpetuated, and those that await us. I hope this can instead be an epilogue and not a prelude.
Comments