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| Author Photo Credit: Toronto Star. All other photos by Girl Well Read—do not use without written permission. |
Indigo Books & Music hosted acclaimed Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, in conversation at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto. She discusses her new book, The Testaments, a sequel to her 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, with CBC's Anna Maria Tremonti.
Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid's Tale, has become a modern classic and now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in this riveting sequel.
Can you believe that The Handmaid's Tale was written 35 years ago? I read it the first time when I was in high school and remember being blown away.
What happens next?
Simply put, she didn't know. The Testaments is set 15 years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale and Atwood realized that she couldn't continue in the voice of the main character from The Handmaid's Tale. This book is narrated by Aunt Lydia (a character from the previous novel); Agnes, a young woman living in Gilead; and Daisy, a young woman living in Canada.
Aunt Lydia makes a two-dimensional appearance in The Handmaid's Tale, and she reappears in The Testaments. In this book, she is busy writing a manuscript, counting on the fact that no one will actually read it. Atwood said that she didn't know how important Aunt Lydia would become. "She is a good person that does bad things." In the TV series, Aunt Lydia is played by the inimitable Ann Dowd.
We move away from Gilead—the 80s happened, 9/11 happened, there was a financial meltdown, things became unstable. Atwood wanted to visit Gilead in the future as a crumbling society.
Popularity
These books have taken on a life of their own. When Atwood sees people dressed up like Handmaids, it is a visual nod to her work, however her wish is "for it not to be relevant."
How do you create?
Margaret said that she reads a lot, including ads and newspapers. She uses the library and is aware of what is going on in the world. Anger is not her downfall, it can be motivating.
She is working on something new, but would rather not say at the moment.
Cover
The jacket was designed by Noma Bar and there are four women (at first glance it appears that there are only two). When asked about the cover design process, Atwood admitted she was involved in the process (most authors are not) and that at one time she was a poster designer.
In closing
While Atwood’s works have both delighted and disturbed readers, she does consider herself a positive person. She spoke about the climate crisis and the challenges we are facing; "Everyone should realize that the climate change is a real thing, and that who you should vote for is not the person who says it’s not happening."
The Testaments
WINNER OF THE BOOKER PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
As Atwood unfolds The Testaments, she opens up the innermost workings of Gilead as each woman is forced to come to terms with who she is, and how far she will go for what she believes.
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