Margaret Atwood's The Testaments: Handmaid's Tale Fans Spot Chilling Nod To Death Of Elisa Lam

The Handmaid's Tale fans have spotted a chilling link between The Testaments and the infamous death of Elisa Lam.

Margaret Atwood's novel is set 15 years after The Handmaid's Tale and is narrated by Aunt Lydia as well as Agnes and Daisy.

If you've read the gripping sequel, you'll know it also features a character named Becka, who enrolls in training to become an Aunt at Ardua Hall.

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In the book, Becka attempts to take her own life after her parents try and arrange a marriage for her. Becka doesn't want to be made to marry or be forced into a marriage, partly because she was abused as a child, and so Aunt Lydia offers her a place in Ardua Hall to train as an Aunt instead.

Becka is successful in her training, and when Agnes arrives at Ardua Hall, the pair strike up a close sisterly friendship. But things take a dark turn when Aunt Lydia tells Becka she is planning on sending Nicole out of Gilead.

Sacrificing herself, Becka takes her own life for the sake of her friends, this time by tragically drowning herself in a water cistern.

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Many readers believe Becka's death draws parallels with the tragic death of Elisa Lam, who went missing from the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, in 2013.

Elisa's death was not found to be suicide, but tragically, the 21-year-old was found in a water tank on the hotel roof, with her death ruled as accidental drowning. Elisa's bipolar disorder was also found to be a significant factor.

At the time of Elisa's mysterious death, a number of theories circulated online - many of which were discussed in the recent Netflix documentary, Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel.

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While Margaret Atwood has not addressed the possible reference, a number of fans have drawn similarities between the way in which Elisa died, and how Becka took her own life.

In a thread about the final three chapters of the sequel novel, one Reddit poster asked other users: "We find out that Becka has died in a very similar fashion to Elisa Lam. What were your thoughts?"

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While another answered: "I think Becka, through research, probably knew how Elisa Lam died, and planned to kill herself the same way, which was sad."

With the book having been published in 2019 and Elisa's tragic death taking place in 2013, it's possible Atwood could have made a connection between the two, but this has never been confirmed.

The Handmaid's Tale fans will be pleased to know the fourth season of the TV adaption is arriving on Hulu in a matter of days.

It will begin on 28th April, although UK viewers will have to wait a little longer.

While Channel 4 has confirmed the dystopian drama will return, the channel has not yet announced a date.

Topics: Books, TV News, The Handmaid's Tale

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].