Margaret Atwood took thirty-four years to finally give us a sequel to Offred's story, and honestly, it wasn't what anyone expected. Most people thought we’d get a direct continuation of that van door slamming shut. Instead, The Testaments jumped fifteen years into the future and traded psychological dread for high-stakes espionage. It’s a weird pivot. It works, but it's weird.
If you're looking for the Handmaid's Tale sequel, you have to understand that Atwood wasn't just trying to cash in on the Hulu show's massive success. She was answering the one question everyone has been screaming since 1985: How does Gilead actually fall?
The book doesn't focus on Offred. Not really. It focuses on three very different women whose lives intersect to tear the whole system down from the inside. You've got Aunt Lydia (yes, that Aunt Lydia), a young girl named Agnes living as a privileged "Precious Flower" in Gilead, and a teenager in Canada named Daisy who finds out her life is a total lie.
It’s gritty. It’s fast. And it’s surprisingly hopeful compared to the original.
The Lydia Problem: Hero or Villain?
The biggest shock in this Handmaid's Tale sequel is Aunt Lydia’s POV. In the first book, she’s a monster. In the show, Ann Dowd plays her with this terrifying, grandmotherly malice. But in The Testaments, Atwood reveals she’s been playing the long game.
Lydia is basically a double agent.
She’s been collecting "dirt" on the Commanders for decades. She keeps a secret stash of files in the Ardua Hall library. She knows who is visiting illicit clubs, who is corrupt, and which Commanders are secretly breaking the very laws they use to oppress women. She’s not doing it because she’s a saint, though. She’s doing it because she’s a survivor.
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The book describes her origin story during the early days of the coup. She was a judge. The Sons of Jacob rounded her up with other professional women, threw them into a stadium, and basically told them: "Collaborate or die." Lydia chose to live. She chose to become the architect of the Aunts because she realized that if she held the keys to the female side of the power structure, she could eventually burn the whole thing down when the time was right.
It’s a complicated moral gray area. Does saving the world later excuse the torture she oversaw for fifteen years? Atwood doesn't give us an easy answer. She just gives us the facts of Lydia's "testament."
Two Sisters and the "Baby Nicole" Myth
While Lydia is plotting in the shadows, the narrative is driven by two girls who don't realize they are sisters.
Agnes Jemima is the daughter of a high-ranking Commander. She grows up in the suffocating "purity" of Gilead, believing that Handmaids are wicked and that her only purpose is to marry a powerful man and have babies. But as she gets older, the cracks appear. She sees the cruelty of the Marthas and the terrifying reality of what happens to "unworthy" girls. She eventually joins the Aunts to avoid a forced marriage, which puts her right in Lydia’s path.
Then there’s Daisy.
Daisy lives in Toronto. she’s a typical rebellious teen until her parents are killed in a bombing. It turns out her "parents" were underground operatives for Mayday, and she is actually Baby Nicole, the most famous refugee from Gilead.
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This is where the Handmaid's Tale sequel starts feeling like a Jason Bourne movie.
Lydia manages to get word to Mayday. She needs someone to smuggle her secret files out of Gilead and into the hands of the international press. She chooses Daisy—now renamed Jade—to go undercover as a "supplicant" (a potential convert to Gilead). The tension is thick. You’ve got this Canadian kid trying to act like a brainwashed cult member while her long-lost sister, Agnes, tries to help her navigate the halls of Ardua Hall.
How Gilead Actually Ends
A lot of readers were frustrated that the original book ended on a cliffhanger. We knew from the "Historical Notes" section at the end of the first novel that Gilead eventually collapsed, but we didn't know how.
The Testaments shows us the rot from within.
Gilead didn't just fall because of an invading army. It fell because it was built on hypocrisy. When Lydia finally leaks the documents—the "Bloodlines" files—it proves that the elite Commanders are just as "sinful" as the people they execute. This leak triggers a series of internal purges and international sanctions that eventually lead to the regime's total disintegration.
It’s a powerful lesson in how information is the deadliest weapon against authoritarianism.
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Key Differences Between the Book and the TV Show
It’s important to note that the Hulu series has already started veering away from Atwood's original vision, though the creators have stated they intend to bridge the gap to The Testaments.
- Aunt Lydia’s Fate: In the show, Lydia has a much more adversarial relationship with June (Offred). In the book, their connection is more distant but fundamentally linked through the children.
- The Timeline: The show has stretched out the timeline significantly. In the book, the collapse starts happening about 15-20 years after the start of the regime.
- The Tone: The show is often criticized for "misery porn"—endless scenes of suffering. The sequel book is much more of a "caper." It’s about the thrill of the hunt and the cleverness of the escape.
Is It Worth the Read?
Honestly, yeah.
If you loved the first book for its poetic, internal monologue, you might find The Testaments a bit too "plot-heavy." It feels more commercial. But if you want closure, it’s essential. It ties up the loose ends. It tells us what happened to Offred (without giving away too many spoilers, she’s still out there, working with Mayday).
It’s also a warning. Atwood has famously said she never puts anything in her books that hasn't already happened somewhere in history. The sequel looks at how societies move from the "idealistic" stage of a revolution into the "corrupt, stagnant" stage. It’s about the bureaucracy of evil.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of the Handmaid's Tale sequel, don't just stop at the book.
- Listen to the Audiobook: The production value is insane. Ann Dowd actually voices Aunt Lydia for the audiobook, which makes the experience incredibly immersive and terrifying.
- Re-read the "Historical Notes" in Book One: Go back to the very last chapter of the original Handmaid's Tale. Now that we have The Testaments, the academic discussion at the end of the first book makes way more sense. You can see the breadcrumbs Atwood left decades ago.
- Track the Hulu Updates: The streaming service is currently developing a spin-off series specifically based on The Testaments. Keep an eye on casting for Agnes and Daisy, as that will signal where the TV universe is heading.
- Study the "Aunt" Hierarchy: If you’re interested in the power dynamics, look into Atwood’s research on the "Female Controllers" in various historical regimes. It adds a layer of reality to Lydia’s character that is deeply unsettling.
The story of Gilead isn't just about one woman's survival anymore. It's about how a legacy of resistance is passed down through generations. Sometimes, the most effective way to destroy a cage is to be the one who holds the key.