Return to Gilead

When Margaret Atwood announced that she would be writing a sequel to her classic novel The Handmaid's Tale (1985), I experienced a range of feelings. I was excited to be returning to Gilead, as I loved the book and always wondered what might have happened to Offred and the regime. But I was also apprehensive; worried that the sequel would not live up to the first, or it would somehow seem that Atwood was only capitalising on the popularity of the television show.

I should never have doubted. Atwood is a master. The Testaments (2019) is a brilliant novel and a worthy successor, equal to (arguably better than) the original. Praise be! I was completely engrossed in the book, and upon completion I immediately began listening to the audiobook, which heightened my admiration for Atwood's clever, intricate writing.

The Testaments was embargoed prior to release to prevent spoilers. As a reader I appreciated being able to enjoy the novel free from knowledge of what was to come. So I will not reveal too much of the plot here, other than to say what is commonly known.

Set 15 years after the events in Handmaid, The Testaments is narrated by three women: Aunt Lydia, Agnes and Daisy. Aunt Lydia, a figure who looms large in Gilead, secretly writes her memoirs and in doing so imparts not just her role in the current regime, but how she got there. She is a cunning, smart and witty woman who reveals much about the cracks in Gilead. Agnes, a young woman who has been indoctrinated into Gilead culture, tells of how she is being groomed to become the wife of a Commander. Daisy, a teenager in neighbouring Canada, protests the Gilead regime. These three seperate narratives provide different perspectives on Gilead: an insider, a follower and an outsider. How they interlink and evolve is fascinating.

Today - in the era of #MeToo and FakeNews with the rise of nationalism, increasing restriction on women's reproductive rights, erection of border walls, increasing conservatism - Handmaids have become a symbol of the oppression of women. As such, the timing of this novel could not be more perfect: returning to Gilead is a hopeful reminder that tyrannical regimes face resistance and failure.

The Testaments is a well-crafted page-turner, which takes the reader on a thrilling journey. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, this novel is definitely my pick for winner.