The Testaments

Did You Know?

• The novel was released simultaneously as a book and as an audiobook featuring Ann Dowd narrating Aunt Lydia, Bryce Dallas Howard reading Agnes, and Mae Whitman reading Daisy.
• BBC Radio 4 serialized the novel in 15 quarter-hour episodes in 2019.
• Atwood said that Ann Dowd's performance as Aunt Lydia in the TV series helped inspire the new novel.

Plot summary

Aunt Lydia, formerly a divorced judge, is imprisoned with other women in a stadium during the establishment of Gilead. After enduring squalid conditions, torture, and solitary confinement, she is selected by Commander Judd and Vidala to become an Aunt, part of an elite group that creates laws and uniforms for women. The Aunts operate from Ardua Hall, where they read forbidden texts. Secretly, Lydia despises Gilead and supplies information to the resistance group Mayday.

Fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid's Tale, Agnes Jemima lives in Boston as the adopted daughter of Commander Kyle and Tabitha. After Tabitha's death, Kyle marries Paula, who arranges for Agnes to marry Commander Judd. Learning she is the daughter of a Handmaid, Agnes escapes by becoming a Supplicant, joining her friend Becka, who has been sexually abused by her father. Agnes receives anonymous files revealing corruption among Gilead's leaders, including evidence that Commander Kyle and Paula plotted to murder their spouses, and that Commander Judd murdered his previous wives. She also discovers she is the half-sister of Baby Nicole, a girl smuggled to Canada.

Reception

Serena Davies of The Daily Telegraph called The Testaments a lurid and powerful sequel with a blockbuster narrative full of twists. In Literary Review, Sarah Crown found it politically and emotionally satisfying but noted it lacked the richness and jeopardy of The Handmaid's Tale due to Atwood's shift from ambiguity to clarity. Atwood stated in a CBS News interview that the novel contains tons of hope. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times contrasted Atwood's view of writing testimony as an act of hope against the satirical epilogues of both novels. The book was shortlisted for the 2020 Fiction Book of the Year in the British Book Awards.

Television adaptation

Atwood wrote The Testaments in coordination with the ongoing The Handmaid's Tale television series, informing producers of the sequel's direction. In March 2023, showrunner Bruce Miller stepped down from The Handmaid's Tale to focus on adapting The Testaments. In February 2025, the series neared a greenlight with Chase Infiniti cast as Agnes, joining Ann Dowd as Lydia. Lucy Halliday joined as co-lead Daisy in March 2025, and Mike Barker was set to direct the first three episodes. Rowan Blanchard and Mattea Conforti were cast as Shunammite and Becka. Hulu officially ordered the series in April 2025, with Elisabeth Moss executive producing. Additional cast included Mabel Li as Aunt Vidala, Amy Seimetz as Paula, and others. Production began on April 7, 2025, and principal photography wrapped on August 15. The show premiered on April 8, 2026.