Contemporary Fiction: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood has kept readers on the hook regarding what happens to one of her most well-known protagonists for over 30 years. For decades, readers have wondered what really happened at the end of The Handmaid's Tale. Sure, we now have the television series on Hulu, but clearly, many of us were still searching for answers, and now we have them in The Testaments.

The Situation: Aunt Lydia is respected, revered, and venerated as an example not only among the other Aunts, but in all of Gilead. Known to be somewhat cold and often harsh, she is looked to regarding urgent issues that need immediate attention. Now in old age, she has decided to write her story, though in all honesty, it is more of a confession. Not only does it reveal how she got to where she is, but also the careful and calculated means by which she has stayed there. Included in the account are the 'Transcript of Witness Testimony 369A' and 'Transcript of Witness Tertimony 369B,' given by two women who lived on opposite sides of the Gilead/Canada border, but somehow become linked to Aunt Lydia's activities. It seems the once stalwart and reliable Aunt Lydia has decided that Gilead has been allowed to go on long enough, and if you want something done right, you get a woman to do it.

The Problem: Although Aunt Lydia holds a high position, it does not mean she is beyond suspicion, or that her actions cannot be called into question, leading to an outright accusation. If she wants to see Gilead fall, she must be more careful than she has ever been, and sacrifices will need to be made. Also, she cannot do it alone. The testimonies of the two witnesses tell of how they came to know Aunt Lydia, and why the future of Gilead matters most to them. One may have been the daughter of a well-connected Commander, but in Gilead, even such a high position does not guarantee happiness for women. And while the other witness has enjoyed a childhood of freedom in Canada, that freedom came at unknown costs, and the unimaginable will need to be done to keep it. Under Aunt Lydia's machinations, the two women will attempt what has long seemed impossible, and perhaps find out why it was the two of them that she chose.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel that is a follow-up to Atwood's classic The Handmaid's Tale. While The Testaments was published 30 years later, the actual action of the book is set only 15 years after the events of its predecessor. Gilead still prospers, though it seems to perpetually be at war with Canada. Both sides have their spies, their secrets, their smugglers, and even their missionaries. The Pearl Girls of Gilead are sent out two at a time into Canada to look for and bring back converts, and if the converts are young women who are able to bear children, then that is even better. While The Handmaid's Tale gave readers a view of Gilead only through the eyes of a Handmaid - women who are assigned to a house where the couple is unable to bear a child of their own, so (hopefully) the Handmaid does it for them - now we can see what it is like for a child living in a Commander's house, with a Handmaid, as well as Martha's of its own. Aunt Lydia's accounts gives more history to Gilead, while also shining a light on its corrupt inner workings. And the third account shows life just outside of Gilead, while still being aware of it. The world of the first book is expanded, offering up both hope and more horror.

My Verdict: Writing a follow-up to a book that was published more than 30 years ago is certainly risky. Personally, I did not much care for The Handmaid's Tale, but I joined many others in more or less deciding for myself what happened after the end of it. It was a smart move for Atwood to begin this book 15 years after the first one, allowing space for more events to occur and for Gilead to fester and become worse than it already was. Normally I do not much care for the choice to have more than one narrator, but in The Testaments, having direct accounts from three different women in three very different circumstances is the way to go. They are all their own characters, each distinct and well-rounded. And the world that Atwood continued to build - the same one she introduced 30 years ago, and one that can often look like our own - is one whose laws, customs, and people will stay with me for a long time. I am certain there are many who will be disappointed with it, but I am not one of them.

Favorite Moment: As a proud Texan, I thoroughly enjoyed learning that Texas seceded from Gilead. And though the resulting war ended in a draw, the state remained separate, much to Gilead's annoyance.

Favorite Character: While I am drawn to Aunt Lydia and the cause she has worked so hard to accomplish, I must choose Becka, or Aunt Immortelle. She enjoyed a semi-privileged life as a child in Gilead, though it was not as wonderful as it seemed, but she maintains her resolve and determination for the greater good.

Recommended Reading: I will go ahead and assume that most who are reading The Testaments have read The Handmaid's Tale, so I will recommend another Atwood classic, Alias Grace.