Margaret Atwood reveals sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale is in the works

The new novel, titled ‘The Testaments’ will be released September next year.

It comes more than 33 years since the publication of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. The book depicts a totalitarian takeover of the United States. Women are depressed and many are forced to bear children.

In recent years the book has achieved renewed attention due to the beginning of the Trump presidency along with the debut of Hulu series, ‘Handmaid’s Tale’. The novel shot to the top of best-seller lists the exact month Trump took office.

The Hulu series won the Emmy Award for outstanding drama last Autumn. Season two debuted in the spring, and season three is in the works. The series has deviated from the book, ‘The Testaments’ will tell Atwood’s version of the story.

Atwood tweeted on Wednesday: "Yes indeed to those who asked: I'm writing a sequel to The #HandmaidsTale, #TheTestaments is set 15 years after Offred's final scene and is narrated by three female characters."

Yes indeed to those who asked: I’m writing a sequel to The #HandmaidsTale. #TheTestaments is set 15 years after Offred’s final scene and is narrated by three female characters. It will be published in Sept 2019. More details: https://t.co/e1umh5FwpX pic.twitter.com/pePp0zpuif

— Margaret E. Atwood (@MargaretAtwood) November 28, 2018

Speaking to her publisher, Penguin, Atwood said the fictional world draws on inequalities she sees in “the world we’ve been living in.”

In a statement on the publishing house’s website, the author said: “Dear Readers: Everything you’ve ever asked me about Gilead and its inner workings is the inspiration for this book. Well, almost everything! The other inspiration is the world we’ve been living in.”