5 Books to Read if you loved The Handmaid's Tale
5 Books to Read if you loved The Handmaid's Tale
If you know anything about my personal history, you know i studied dystopian fiction in depth throughout both my A Levels and undergraduate degree. As such, dystopian lit, and in particular feminist dystopian lit, is still one of my very favourite genres. I am also IN LOVE with the new Hulu series of The Handmaid’s tale, and am thrilled that Margaret Atwood has not only been heavily involved with the development of seasons two and three which veer away from the first book, but also that she’s announced she will be writing a sequel to the original novel. It’s definitely exciting times to be a lover of this particular genre of stories, so here are five novels to check out if you are waiting not so patiently for the next Handmaid’s tale updates!
1) THE POWER BY NAOMI ALDERMAN
Synopsis
In THE POWER, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family. But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power--they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.
From award-winning author Naomi Alderman, THE POWER is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways.
2) EVE OF MAN by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
Synopsis
Eve is like any other teenage girl . . .
Except that the fate of the entire world lies on her shoulders.
She's the first girl born in fifty years.
She's the answer to their prayers.
She's the final hope.
Which means she has one function alone . . .
At sixteen, Eve must face her destiny and make a choice.
She will choose a man, one out of three carefully selected suitors.
But what about Bram?
The future of the planet hangs on Eve making the right choice.
Will she?
COULD YOU CHOOSE BETWEEN LOVE, AND THE FUTURE OF THE HUMAN RACE?
CHECK OUT EVE OF MAN ON AMAZON
3) Something Blue by Kristy Nicolle
Synopsis
In the city of Monopolis where happily ever after is just a scientific formula away, Valentine Morland has been waiting nine years for her day to come. Now it's here, and she will marry the man of her dreams, a stranger to her, before being swept off to a life of carefree luxury and bliss, courtesy of the Jigsaw Project. However, all is not as Valentine imagined as her new husband is quickly discovered as not the man of her dreams, but one who claims he isn't capable of love at all. Harbouring an intense paranoia for the system, which upholds the very idealist fantasy that Valentine holds so dear, Clark threatens to throw her into a world, not of bliss, but of scary consequence where her every emotion is under scrutiny. Can it be that the scientific formula with a 99% success rate got it all wrong, or is everything in the world of Bliss Inc. more sinister than it seems?
This young adult dystopian romance debut from Kristy Nicolle, 'Something Blue', is a new addition to the great YA dystopian tradition of Scott Westerfeld, Suzanne Collins, and Veronica Roth which have captured the hearts of hungry readers all over the world.
Join Valentine as she discovers the truth about arranged marriage, and the accident behind it all that leads her, unknowingly, to real happiness.
CHECK OUT SOMETHING BLUE ON AMAZON
4) THE WATER CURE by Sophie Mackintosh
Synopsis
Grace, Lia and Sky live in an abandoned hotel, on a sun-bleached island, beside a poisoned sea. Their parents raised them there to keep them safe, to make them good. The world beyond the water is contaminated and men are the contamination. But one day three strangers wash ashore - men who stare at the sisters hungrily, helplessly. Men who bring trouble.
CHECK OUT THE WATER CURE ON AMAZON
5) THE BOOK OF THE UNNAMED MIDWIFE by Meg Elison
Synopsis
When she fell asleep, the world was doomed. When she awoke, it was dead.
In the wake of a fever that decimated the earth’s population—killing women and children and making childbirth deadly for the mother and infant—the midwife must pick her way through the bones of the world she once knew to find her place in this dangerous new one. Gone are the pillars of civilization. All that remains is power—and the strong who possess it.
A few women like her survived, though they are scarce. Even fewer are safe from the clans of men, who, driven by fear, seek to control those remaining. To preserve her freedom, she dons men’s clothing, goes by false names, and avoids as many people as possible. But as the world continues to grapple with its terrible circumstances, she’ll discover a role greater than chasing a pale imitation of independence.
After all, if humanity is to be reborn, someone must be its guide.
