Sequel follows Gilead characters
Margaret Attwood’s recent sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, which was published in 1985, was inspired by the questions her readers asked of her, and events in the modern world. Further interest was stirred by the recent eponymous television series.
The Testaments begins 15 years after the close of The Handmaid’s Tale, and is told through the voices of three female narrators.
Wily Aunt Lydia was a judge before the formation of the state of Gilead and has become one of its most powerful women. Not that women have any legitimate power in Gilead, but she is in a position to know the secrets of those in power and knowledge is power.
Young and idealistic, Agnes Jemima is the daughter of Commander Kyle. Her testament revolves around her upbringing in a privileged home in Gilead — not that any female child has real privileges. Loyal and ready to love, her pending marriage to an older, evil man prompts a rethink of her future.
Daisy, daughter of Offred, the central character in The Handmaid’s Tale, is living in Canada, unaware of her origins. In typical teenage fashion, she rebels against the careful watch of her overprotective adoptive parents and attends an anti-Gilead rally, with serious repercussions.
Using the three narrators, Attwood weaves a story that is compelling and suspenseful. Along the way she dispenses commentary on the world — the oppression of women, the susceptibility to corruption of those with power, the dangers of extremism, and human strengths and weaknesses.
The Testaments has been shortlisted for the Booker prize which indicates that the literati are impressed by Attwood’s achievement. Her fan-base appears less impressed. The shocking political situation in Gilead has lost its novelty and hence, its impact. The fate of Offred is vague. The escape attempt is less than believable. You should be the judge, but I thought The Testaments was up there with Attwood’s best.
— Lynda Stallworthy