Els Testaments

L’acció passa quinze anys després del cop d’estat que instaurà la dictadura integrista ultra cristiana de Galaad i la narren tres dones. Dues des de l’interior, però en diferents rols, i l’altra a l’exterior amb, lògicament, visions diferents tot i que no antagòniques del que està passant.

Com la majoria de règims, Galaad es comença a podrir internament. La corrupció ha prosperat i es comença a fer difícil de tapar. Els principis ferris van quedant cada cop més al descobert i als dirigents se’ls fa difícil tapar els incipients moviments d’alliberament de les dones. Potser és natural a la condició humana, així i tot, la traïdoria i la revenja són valors que es tenen poc en compte a l’hora d’estudiar l’evolució de les societats.

Els relats de les tres narradores es van trenant els uns amb els altres per donar lloc, finalment, a un únic relat fins a cert punt esperançador. L’habilitat de Margaret Atwood per desenvolupar la trama és realment admirable i en cap moment el llibre es fa pesat, al contrari, empeny a continuar llegint-lo. A més, el punt esperançador final, després de tanta mort i patiments, sembla dissipar una mica l’horitzó del futur.

Un punt més per seguir llegint coses de l’Atwood i veure com desenvolupa altres temes.

I won't go into too many plot details in the book. I was not caught up in the same hype that many people seem to have been caught up in surrounding "The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood. I agree with many reviews that say that there was a clash between people's expectations and the finished product. But I try hard to separate out my expectations and the intent of the author, which I usually respect the most. Atwood is a brilliant writer - she can write in many different genres and styles and still make the landing. So, I would say that I liked "The Testaments," though I think that "The Handmaid's Tale" is a better book mainly due to the way the narrative is hemmed in by the restrictions of the narrator. Part of its appeal is all that we do not know about the regime and its circumstances. But I am glad that "The Testaments" exists because I think it worth exploring the rise and maintenance of Gilead - and what could have led to its fall. For some, "The Testaments" may be a lesser work because it punctures the mysteries built up in the first novel. But truth be told, I would rather explore the mysteries of tyranny, violence, and power. I found Aunt Lydia's narrative and Agnes' narratives to be stronger than Daisy's (a girl raised in Canada). But I think that all three were necessary. And I think of of the more brilliant sections of the novel comes with Agnes and Daisy are brought together and you see the clash of two different conceptions of femininity. I will say that I did not see the ending coming entirely - maybe because I have not watched the show at all. The ending feels weaker than I had hoped. But perhaps I could say that we are not as used to having happier endings anymore. Tragedy seems more respectable and serious. Yet, if we look at the world around us, there are moments of triumph as well as tragedy. I think that Atwood has earned the right to give us some hope.

While I don't believe this novel is as trite as other reviewers have suggested, the occasion and project of this work are very different from Handmaid's Tale and I'm grateful to Atwood for choosing optimism. It isn't fair to ask an artist to write in the midst of a storm. I believe the best novels about the beginning of our century are still decades off, but for what this is, a continuation of an impactful story partially written by other people as a television series so entwined with our political moment it has become an active synecdochical representation in international activist movements, it is incredible. I mean just for existing. Atwood was able to produce some kind of meaningful content knee deep in a river's flow.

Some aspects that struck me while reading: her use of wordplay in this novel may not have had the weight of the first novel but the period being described is very different. This is the end of Gilead so it made a lot of sense to employ malapropism for various idiomatic phrases as a demonstration of language's mutability under power (or subversion).

The escape to sea had an interesting parallel with Lanchester's The Wall. Returning to sea seems to figure strongly for authors writing their way out of oppression this year. I hope this doesn't mean I need to build an ark. Either way, I'll keep looking to rainbows as a sign of hope.

Finally, the ending (no spoilers). I'll just say I liked it.

Growing up in Canada I had to read The Handmaid's Tale in high school, way back when - and it's not an easy read when you're 16 or so. We had an assignment afterwards to write an additional chapter of the book about what happened next. I wish I could remember what I wrote -- but The Testaments is the author's answer to that same assignment.

Offred of the first book is no longer the narrator, no longer even directly present in the story, which is instead told through the writings of Aunt Lydia and the recorded testimony of two teenage girls, one from Gilead and one from Canada. This gives the book a much different feeling from The Handmaid's Tale, in which we have a much more limited, claustrophobic view as we see everything only from Offred's eyes. In The Testaments we have a much broader view of Gilead now mainly seem from the perspective of the Aunts, which is quite different. Through Aunt Lydia's writing we learn how she came to be in her current position, and we get a much broader view of the workings of Gilead leadership because of her visibility into the Commanders' lives and politics.

Therefore, this isn't as creepy and as terrifying a book as The Handmaid's Tale; it also has a clearly resolved ending, unlike Offred's ambiguous close. It wraps up the bigger story of Gilead in a satisfactory manner, but that also means it will not haunt you as long as its predecessor since there aren't really any unanswered questions left to ponder. So if you're looking for another haunting, thought-provoking narrative with a cliffhanger ending, this isn't the book you're looking for.

However, if you're very attached to Offred, either from the original book or from the Hulu TV series, and want to know more about Gilead society and need a Gilead story with a happy ending (or at least as happy as possible, in Gilead) the you'll enjoy this book a lot. If you enjoy Atwood's writing and were amused by the little jokes in The Handmaid's Tale like "nolite te bastardes carborundorum" then you'll enjoy a lot more in The Testaments also - such as the Aunts' official motto, "Per Ardua Cum Estrus" (likely a play on the Air Force motto "per ardua ad astra"), and the Aunts' admonition against reading and writing, "Pen Is Envy". Also a lot of Canada jokes which made me snicker, being Canadian.

Overall I enjoyed it a lot. With the current political climate down south, I don't think I really felt up to reading another harrowing Handmaid's Tale style novel of despair, and this was a book I enjoyed reading a lot more, while I can acknowledge it doesn't have the individual impact that its predecessor did. It was a satisfactory wrap up and a little bit of hope in a time that really could use a bit more.