January 12, 2020 GET ME SOME OF THAT

Is there really such a thing as forgive and forget? I GUESS if the thing you HAVE to forget is benign. Forgiveness--in my mind--is the easy part--we forgive FOR ourselves NOT  the other person. Right? We  forgive so that we can grow and try to be happy in life. If we don't forgive--we eventually become full of resentment-- anger--bitterness--nasty buggers that will RUIN your life.  Okay--I can forgive but I can't forget AND that sometimes gets in my way.  Some people are  lucky enough (I think) to develop a case of SELECTIVE MEMORY.  Seriously--Science has actually shown that people can choose to remember or forget things. They can actually train their brains to forget unpleasant memories. I gotta get me some of that. Don't think there is any forgive or forget in Margaret Atwood's sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. 
Atwood's new book The Testaments picks up fifteen years after the first novel and the Republic of Gilead is still in control. This novel is a three part narrative where the characters take turns filling the reader in on what's happened between novels as well as what is currently happening in Gilead. Agnes Jemima is a young girl who  grew up in Gilead, the daughter of a Commander and his Wife. She is trying to make sense of Gilead and her place as a female. Aunt Lydia is a powerful Aunt who has been around since the birth of the Republic. One of the most powerful women in Gilead,  Aunt Lydia works behind the scenes with Commander Judd. Daisy is a young woman who lives outside of Gilead's border.  After her parents are murdered, she joins the Mayday Movement to try to infultrate Gilead and destroy the republic. This novel is more about the fall of Gilead, a world run by fear, control, and executions. It is truly a dystopia that is even more shocking than the original book because its leadership is out of control. I don't usually read sequels but this was recommended by a friend and is worth the read. Atwood's writing is beautiful--it's like slipping into an old shoe. This novel is about 400 pages that flies by like a 4 mile run.