'The Testaments' by Margaret Atwood

When my bookgroup nominated this book for our collective consideration, my heart sank a little. I know the 'Handmaid's Tale' was well thought of and that this book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, but another book about the subjugation of women... And I'm not really a huge fan of Margaret Atwood's writing either, so all in all, I didn't think it had a lot going for it.

          But that's one of the advantages of a book group. They push you out of your comfort zone and make you read books that you probably wouldn't otherwise. Often this is a rewarding thing to do, and it was in this case.

          I like the style of writing with the dark humour that underpinned it. I liked the characterisation, particularly of Aunt Lydia. As I often mention when teaching creative writing, characters need to be rounded and three-dimensional; a mixture of good and bad with the balance between the two variable, depending on what you want to achieve with them, and Aunt Lydia demonstrates this perfectly. She might be a stalwart of the oppresive regime and have taken part in much that is morally dubious, but she is subversive and wants her final legacy to the patriarchal society where women are valueless, to be so much more than just a statue, and this she achieves.

    There was some discussion, within my bookgroup, as to whether or not the ending was a bit contrived, but the final conclusion was that it was probably justified, and I enjoyed it so much I bought the first one.

 

Verdict: read