The Testaments - Margaret Atwood

Fiction

Rating: 9/10

“I write these words early on, over the years I have buried a lot of bones; now I’m inclined to dig them up, if only for your edification my unknown reader.” 

It’s with this excerpt, delivered in the first few pages, that I dived into this story. I saw this as a directive from Atwood, what you draw from this book is up to you, so be properly attentive. And should you choose to take her up on this invitation, you would do well to remember her deft and sly hand with word games.

Thirty-five years ago, we thought The Handmaids Tale was purely inventive fiction.  When the television series came out, we lauded it as prophetic and prescient.  Which to be clear, it was in more ways than most would like to admit. And where are we now, with the publication of The Testaments? If you are me, with a thing or two to ponder.

I don’t want to give away anything in my review as the unexpected moments were wonderful when I got to discover them all on my own.  But I will share just this… 

A moment that stuck with me is when one of the narrators is wavering on a choice that must be made.  One delivers power to them in which they will bask, and the alternative reverts the power to others.  In one our narrator is made a monster, the other, a hero.  What’s chilling is not only that there is a choice at all, but the equanimity of consideration given to it.  This singular moment exemplifies what makes Atwood a shrewd genius with the written word.

Footnote: An underlying consideration throughout the novel is that being complacent may be as insidious as being complicit. Are both not a contributing factor in the erosion of the rights of women and other minorities? Both options invite almost unconscious participation and seem innocuous on the surface. But we must begin to recognize their potential malignancy. Sooner rather than later.