Book Review: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood

A profound look at why people commit monstrous acts

Margaret Atwood’s latest novel follows the story of Gilead, but not in the way readers might expect Pic: Getty

FICTION: The Testaments, By Margaret Atwood, Chatto & Windus, €20

Temper your expectations. I know that will be hard to do given Margaret Atwood’s deservedly celebrated reputation and the elevated status of her 1985 novel The Handmaid’s Tale, to which The Testaments is the sequel.

I say temper your expectations not because The Testaments isn’t a great read and wonderfully written – it is both of those things – but rather because it’s ...