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A review by stephibabes
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
5.0
I first read The Handmaid's Tale whilst deep in my PhD. I struggled to get through it, because I was out of habit of reading for pleasure. But I enjoyed it.
The Testaments, however, I was utterly captivated by. Gilead felt so vivid. So terrifyingly oppressive and brutal. Yet stoic and quiet. I loved that the story unfolded through the multiple accounts. By halfway through the book I was engrossed and looking forward to sitting down to read it at every opportunity.
As a feminist the resonance of The Testaments was uncomfortable, but I think I was driven to hope that the dystopia as a literary genre can sometimes reveal those horrors in a manner that allow for avoidance of such theocratic patriarchal totalitarian regimes. I hope that anyway. But my privilege allows it and I also know that this is not fantasy, Atwood is an incredibly shrewd and gifted writer who incorporated instances and examples couched in reality. We must all hope for more.
The Testaments, however, I was utterly captivated by. Gilead felt so vivid. So terrifyingly oppressive and brutal. Yet stoic and quiet. I loved that the story unfolded through the multiple accounts. By halfway through the book I was engrossed and looking forward to sitting down to read it at every opportunity.
As a feminist the resonance of The Testaments was uncomfortable, but I think I was driven to hope that the dystopia as a literary genre can sometimes reveal those horrors in a manner that allow for avoidance of such theocratic patriarchal totalitarian regimes. I hope that anyway. But my privilege allows it and I also know that this is not fantasy, Atwood is an incredibly shrewd and gifted writer who incorporated instances and examples couched in reality. We must all hope for more.