The Testaments (2019) is a novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, the sequel to her 1985 novel The Handmaid's Tale. The novel takes place 15 years after Offred's final scene, and is narrated by three female characters: Aunt Lydia, one of the principal characters in the first novel, Agnes, a young woman living in Gilead, and Daisy, a young woman in Canada who is horrified by Gilead's abuses of human rights.
Opening Epigraphs[]
"Every woman is supposed to have the same set of motives, or else be a monster" -George Eliot, Daniel Derdona
"When we look one another in the face, we're neither of us just looking at a face we hate - no, we're gazing into a mirror... Do you really not recognize yourselves in that mirror...?" -Obersturmbannführer Liss to Old Bolshevik Motovsky, Vasily Grossman, Life and Fate
"Freedom is a heavy load, a great and strange burden for the spirit to undertake... It is not a gift given, but a choice made, and the choice may be a hard one." -Ursula K. Le Guin, The Tombs of Atuan
Chapters[]
| I Statue | 1 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia mulls over her legacy in Gilead. |
| II Precious Flower | 2-5 | Agnes | Agnes recounts her early childhood until her mother, Tabitha, passes away. |
| III Hymn | 6 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia celebrates Easter at the Ardua Hall. |
| IV The Clothes Found | 7-11 | Daisy | Daisy recounts her childhood, leading up to her sixteenth birthday when her parents are car-bombed by Gilead agents. |
| V Van | 12 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia speaks with Commander Judd, and recounts her arrest shortly after the takeover. |
| VI Six For Dead | 13-19 | Agnes | Agnes recounts her father's second marriage to Paula, her father's Handmaid Ofkyle's pregnancy, and her death in childbirth. |
| VII Stadium | 20 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia meets with Helena, Elizabeth, and Vidala, instructing them to seek out potential traitors. She recounts a mass execution of educated women after her arrest. |
| VIII Carnarvon | 21-23 | Daisy | Daisy reacts to the deaths of her parents, and is taken to a safe-house, Carnarvon. She discovers her true identity: that she is the legendary Baby Nicole. |
| IX Thank Tank | 24 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia meets with Aunt Sally and goes over the details of Adrianna's death. She recalls her imprisonment in the Thank Tank and how she came to be made an Aunt. |
| X Spring Green | 25-28 | Agnes | Agnes recounts her time at Rubies Premarital Prepatory and the preparations for her wedding at just thirteen years of age. |
| XI Sackcloth | 29 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia hears news about a potential traitor within Ardua Hall, and recounts how she became a Founding Aunt. |
| XII Carpitz | 30-33 | Daisy | Daisy meets with members of Mayday and agrees to infiltrate Gilead as a spy. |
| XIII Secateurs | 34 | Aunt Lydia | Aunt Lydia discovers that Vidala has been framing Elizabeth. She remembers the aftermath of Becka's attempted suicide. |
| XIV Ardua Hall | 35-40 | Agnes | Agnes recounts her coming to Ardua Hall and abandoning her prospective marriage to begin her induction as an Aunt. |
| XV Fox and Cat | 41 | Aunt Lydia | Aunt Lydia recalls Becka and Agnes's testimony of Dr. Grove's sexual abuse. She tells Elizabeth of Vidala's deceit. |
| XVI Pearl Girls | 42-45 | Daisy | "Jade" allows herself to be persuaded to enter Gilead by the Pearl Girls. |
| XVII Perfect Teeth | 46 | Aunt Lydia | Lydia gets Elizabeth to frame Dr. Grove for attempted rape. She tells Commander Judd that Baby Nicole has entered Gilead. |
| XVIII Reading Room | 47-51 | Agnes | Agnes, now called Aunt Victoria, and Becka, now Aunt Imortelle, instruct "Jade" in the customs of Gilead. |
| XIX Study | 52 | Aunt Lydia | Aunt Lydia visits Commander Judd and must make a decision about the fate of Baby Nicole. |
| XX Bloodlines | 53-58 | Agnes and Daisy |
Aunt Victoria, Aunt Imortelle, and "Jade" learn that Jade is Baby Nicole, as well as that she and Aunt Victoria are half-sisters. Aunt Lydia is revealed to be the inside source and gives the trio an important mission. |
| XXI Fast and Thick | 59 | Aunt Lydia | The Eyes and Angels suspect a traitor, Aunt Victoria's character is questioned, and Commander Judd decrees that he wishes to marry Nicole, complicating Aunt Lydia's plan. |
| XXII Heartstopper | 60-64 | Agnes and Daisy | Aunt Lydia informs the trio about a change in plans. Aunt Imortelle remains behind. The other two are stopped by Aunt Vidala. After Nicole knocks her out, they leave for Canada. |
| XXIII Wall | 65 | Aunt Lydia | Aunt Vidala is found comatose, diagnosed with a stroke. Aunt Lydia takes a vial of morphine. Nicole's disappearance is discovered. |
| XXIV The ''Nellie J. Banks'' | 66-67 | Agnes and Daisy | The sisters make up as they travel towards Canada. En route, the transportation breaks down. |
| XXV Wakeup | 68 | Aunt Lydia | Aunt Imortelle is found dead in the cistern. After Commander Judd orders the deaths of Agnes and Nichole, Aunt Lydia shoots and kills him. Aunt Vidala denounces Lydia. |
| XXVI Landfall | 69-70 | Agnes and Daisy | Agnes and Daisy arrive in Canada and are reunited with their mother. |
| XXVII Sendoff | 71 | Aunt Lydia | Aunt Lydia, who expects to be captured momentarily, hides her writings, and uses the morphine to commit suicide. |
| The Thirteenth Symposium | Epilogue | Professor Pieixoto | In 2197, Pieixoto discusses the historical context and validity of The Testaments. |