The Handmaid’s Tale ends as Offred (June) is taken away, but by whom? I downloaded The Testaments immediately after finishing THT because that ending didn’t sit well with my spirit. I don’t get the reviewers on Goodreads who think this sequel was unnecessary. This did not disappoint.
The story takes place 15 years later and is told from three points of view. Agnes Jamima, a young woman who grew up in Gilead (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard). Agnes was raised by a high-ranking commander and his wife and is being bred to be a wife herself. She’s not looking forward to it. Who could blame her?
Daisy, a teenager living in Toronto (voiced by Mae Whitman). Daisy is appalled by all the human rights violations taking place in Gilead, and she has no idea who her parents really are and what organization they’re affiliated with.
And Aunt Lydia, one of the antagonists from THT (voiced by Ann Dowd, who also plays Lydia in the Hulu series, because she IS Aunt Lydia). In THT, our view of Aunt Lydia is from Offred’s perspective. So, when I realized it’s Aunt Lydia talking here, I started. I was not expecting her. She’s documenting how she and other professional women were kidnapped and taken to Gilead, how she became an aunt, and her thoughts on being an icon of the corrupt and hypocritical Gilead. I gained a better understanding of this complex character and the choices she made.
The three women eventually cross paths, but not by accident. Revelations come to light. Honestly, if you read THT and watch the series, you should be able to make the connection between Agnes and Daisy before they even meet.
Even though I was asking, “Where TF is June?” thoughout, I enjoyed this read more than THT. This has more suspense, violence, murder, and mystery. I listened to the majority of this book in one day because a mastermind double agent in Gilead set things in motion that may lead to its destruction, and I couldn’t wait to see if they succeeded.
I hear a series is in the works. I’ll definitely be tuning in.
Did you enjoy this read? Are you looking forward to the TV adaptation?
Spoilers below this point.
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June fled to Canada with her baby. She was pregnant when that van picked her up at the end of TBT. The powers in Gilead want the baby, Nicole, back. She is the property of Gilead, after all. Gilead made two failed attempts on June’s life. Nicole is being raised as Daisy in Toronto by Melanie and Neil, two Mayday operatives tasked with keeping her safe.
When Daisy’s adoptive parents are killed in a car bombing, Mayday agents Ada and Garth take over and have Daisy pose as a homeless teenager so she could be recruited by the Pearl Girls, young aunt’s who seek to make a “better life” for young women. Daisy uses the fake name Jade and is taken to Gilead. She meets Agnes and Becka Grove, who are aunt’s because who TF wants to get raped and have kids for monsters?
Becka, Agnes and Jade have a sit down with Aunt Lydia, so reveals Daisy/Jade is Baby Nicole and she and Agnes are June’s daughters. Agnes is Hannah, June’s daughter who was kidnapped when June was made a Handmaid. I kind of saw that coming. I also wasn’t surprised when Aunt Lydia is revealed to be The Source in cahoots with the Mayday agents helping young women escape Gilead and plotting to take down the whole system. Whew!
Anyway, she helps Hannah and Nicole escape Gilead and regrets not being able to live long enough to see Gilead fall. June only appears at the end of their story to reunite with her daughters.
In the final part of the book, the Thirteenth Symposium of Gileadean Studies takes place in Maine in the year 2197. The events leading up to the fall of Gilead are discussed as well as key players. It is revealed that Agnes and Nicole are reunited with their respective fathers and go on to have children and grandchildren of their own.
I found this read fantastic and absolutely necessary.
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