The Testaments

Atwood returns to Gilead with three voices that reveal the system's cracks from within. The structure is more choral and less claustrophobic than The Handmaid's Tale, which makes it more dynamic but also somewhat less oppressive. Aunt Lydia here is a formidable character — morally ambiguous and literarily fascinating. It does not surpass the original but complements it intelligently. For those who finished The Handmaid's Tale and want to know what happens next, it is essential.