‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Sequel Set to Be Published in 2019, as New Memes Skewer Melania Trump

Thanks to public demand, and a certain American president, Margaret Atwood is writing a sequel to her million-selling “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

“The Testaments” will be published next September by Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, the publisher announced Wednesday. The book is set 15 years after the final scene of Offred, narrator of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Atwood’s novel about a dystopian society in the imagined land of Gilead was a best seller when first published in 1985 and was back on the charts after Donald Trump’s election in 2016. The novel is also the basis for an acclaimed miniseries on Hulu.

Atwood, a Canadian author, said in a statement that the sequel was inspired by readers’ questions about Gilead and by the “world we’ve been living in.” Atwood's dystopian world has sparked many online memes related to the Trump administration and featured prominently in social media mockery aimed at Melania Trump's White House Christmas decorations this year.

The first lady sparked online criticism with her choice of red Christmas trees that lacked any traditional decorations. One satirist wrote on Twitter, "Is it just me or do #MelaniaTrump #WhiteHouseChristmas decorations have a #handmaidstale feel to them... coinicidence or cry for help?" While another invoked Stephen King's classic horror tale the Shinning, "First lady MelaniaTrump unveils 2018 White House Christmas decorations. The theme this year is #REDRUM."