Atwood's The Testaments

There has been so much over-the-top publicity surrounding the publication of Margaret Atwood's sequel to "The Handmaid's Tale," that I almost wondered whether or not to write about "The Testaments." Don't we already know what it's all about? And really, was all the hoopla about the embargo and the Amazon snafu necessary? Atwood herself has hardly been reticent about appearing on

talk shows and doing interviews. She has told us that her fans' curiosity was the reason she felt compelled to write this novel of answers.

It's a great read! As you might expect, it's smart and snarky, witty and fast-paced, but it is not as terrifyingly dystopian as its predecessor. In fact, I see hope, even optimism in Atwood's vision. Gilead, like any society or organization built on a fundamentalism designed to regulate morality, limit knowledge, and terrorize free thinkers, is rotting from within. If you watched the Hulu television series, now filming its fourth season, you've already seen this manifest and will likely find no huge surprises in the book. This will not keep you from enjoying it. I burned through it in two days.

There are three alternating narrators. The most compelling of them is, has to be, Aunt Lydia. Through her secretly written memoirs, hidden away in a library (thank you Margaret) for future researchers to find, we learn about the horrific deeds that brought the brilliant, educated women, the judges, lawyers, doctors, and business people, together in a sports stadium, handcuffed, starved, tortured, and given a choice. Die or survive under the new Gileadian world order. When Aunt Lydia describes her thought process as she makes her decision you may question it, but I defy you to judge. 

The underground "femaleroad" is a thriving network running along land and sea borders between Gilead and Canada. Atwood's talent at ratcheting up suspense and foreboding takes us into the hearts of the selfless men and women who operate it. The layers of subterfuge naturally breed distrust and the lives of these people are lonely and difficult. Canada may be a safe place but it is no Utopia. Still, women from Gilead do manage to escape, often having to leave their children behind.

What I most appreciate about Atwood's new novel is the insight she displays into women and female-led organizations in particular. Ardua Hall is the home of the Aunts, the women in charge of training the Handmaids, the future brides, and the novice Aunts. The hall contains a vast library, knowledge only Aunts are allowed to access and enjoy. Just imagine what smart women can do with that! The women are cunning and crafty. Life in the hall is like a chess game and Lydia is the master. 

It's true that men perpetrated the injustice of a creation like Gilead on its inhabitants but Atwood lets readers intuit from the first page that Gilead will not last. Remember, as you read, that revenge is a dish best served cold.