This is the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, which I reviewed here: https://readingrampant.wordpress.com/2017/03/06/the-handmaids-tale-by-margaret-atwood/
**Spoiler Alert** The Testaments was published 15 years after The Handmaid’s Tale. Atwood herself states that it was brought about by reader questions, not any original intention to write a sequel, and that shows. The worldbuilding is over, and no new horrors are added. The power of The Handmaid’s Tale is in Offred’s utter powerlessness and hopelessness. She fights as much as she can, and it all comes to nothing. She, and all the women, are trapped, puppets of people who would function better if they were in fact without brains. The society is too strong, too well orchestrated, too powerful, and cannot be fought. The Handmaid’s Tale strips hope from its readers and leaves them devastated, and that is perfect. The Testaments entirely undermines that devastation. It promises real hope, and delivers. It shows the end of Gilead, the weaknesses within the government’s attempt at absolute power. I was so disappointed. **End of Spoilers**
The Testaments itself is alright. The various storylines are interesting to follow as they slowly converge, and I truly cared about each character that was followed. They were all very different, very real, very human. Each one had such a different perspective, and it really showed in their various opinions, reactions and even word choices. The switches between perspectives were well orchestrated. The reader can understand and sympathize with more than any one character, and at the same time points of uncertainty were not resolved before the characters they affected knew the outcome.
**Spoiler Alert** That said, some character motivations were unclear. Why did Aunt Lidia insist that Nichole had to be the one to carry her documents? She asserts that it is because Nichole will be beyond reproach, unkillable, but she has no great issue allowing others to die. I can understand saving all the worst proof until she is ready to die, because she knows it will reveal her as the source within Gilead, but the delivery of it seems more symbolic and contrived than necessary or sensible. Until well into the story, Aunt Lidia retains her old methods of delivering documents. Why not simply send out many copies that way? Some may be caught, although that was unlikely until late in the story, but others would get through. Putting all her decades of careful documentation in one highly perishable, highly conspicuous person is contrary to all the rest of her diligent scheming. If she insists on only one conveyance, she could have simply never requested Nichole but waited and given two trusted Pearl Girls, perhaps Agnes and Becka, those most precious documents at their normal departure time. This would have aroused no inordinate suspicion, and involved very low risk. The motivation of Agnes being able to meet her sister could have easily been used. Aunt Lidia could have told the two that she had managed to contact Mayday and the price for meeting Nichole, and the opportunity to convert and return her, was this information they carried. They could easily have been mislead about the true nature of the information, and eagerly and covertly carried it right to Mayday. Every moment Nichole is in Gilead is a risk, and an unnecessary one. Her presence, and the much riskier, more conspicuous method of relaying information was never properly motivated. This is about as big of a plot hole as there can be: it encompasses the entire drama of the story. **End of Spoilers**
The pacing was bad. There was no real drama, no uncertainty, no close risk of being caught, until the very end. Then, suddenly, the characters were free or finished and we heard no more from them. The abrupt, unresolved ending that worked so well in The Handmaid’s Tale is not suited to The Testaments. Seeing the same type of un-resolution made me wonder if Atwood simply doesn’t know how to resolve a story.
I was excited to read this sequel because of how powerful the first book was, but it ultimately not only failed to stand on its own but also undermined its predecessor. The character voices were the good aspect. I rate this book 3/10.