Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale hasn’t been out of print since it was first published in 1985. It’s been culturally and politically resonant with generations of readers and recently became a critically acclaimed television show.
If you couldn’t put down The Handmaid’s Tale or you binge-watched the Hulu series, add one of these titles to your TBR list. You’ll find even more dystopian novels to download in cloudLibrary.
Archetype by M. D. Waters
In a dystopian future in which women are a commodity, Emma wakes up to find her memory is blank. Her husband’s story of their relationship doesn’t match the haunting dreams Emma has of war, a wife-training camp, and another love interest. As the line between her dreams and her “real” life blurs, Emma begins to realize just how much danger she’s in.
The End We Start From by Megan Hunter
In this lyrical and hopeful novel, a woman gives birth to her first child as London becomes submerged under floodwater. She’s forced to head north with her new baby, seeking shelter and trying to thrive as a new family against all odds.
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
A dystopian tale from one of today’s most popular novelists! Ordinarily, Cedar Hawk Songmaker would be happy to be four months’ pregnant. But now, evolution is running backward, causing problems in most pregnancies. Martial law is rumored and Congress is threatening to register and even confine pregnant women in order to preserve humanity. Cedar sets off to find safety with her birth mother before she herself becomes a mother, but can she avoid potential informants on the way?
Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
Janey lives in a radical island society built on ancestor worship, controlled breeding, and the strict rationing of knowledge and history. Daughters on the island are trained to be wives and have children until they no longer can. Janey doesn’t want to become a woman in this society and attempts to ravel the mysteries of the island and lead an uprising among the other girls.
The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons
Aya has learned how to hide from the men who hunt, buy and sell women at market. With a small group of other women and girls, she lives a nomadic life high in the mountains – until she’s caught by a group of businessmen on an expedition.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Margaret Atwood mentored the writer of this fascinating book! Teen girls worldwide spontaneously develop the ability to cause great pain and even death with just a touch. The book follows several characters as they come to terms with a totally transformed world. And just like The Handmaid’s Tale, the epilogue of The Power brilliantly recasts the entire story.
The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh
Three sisters – Grace, Lia and Sky – have been raised by their parents on an island totally cut off from the main land. Their lives are full of rituals and therapies they undergo to protect them against the spreading toxicity of the world. But when their father disappears and a stranger washes onto their shores, the sisters must decide who the real threat is.
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
In this novel, the separation between church and state is completely erased. Criminals are no longer thrown in jail; instead, their skin is genetically recolored to indicate their crime, and they’re thrown back into society to fend for themselves. Hannah’s skin – red – marks her as a murderer. She navigates a society that reacts to her “chromed” skin while questioning the values she once believed.
Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy
An engrossing and exciting book! Connie Ramos is unjustly confined to a mental institution. There, she’s contacted by an envoy from the year 2137, who reveals a future utopia of equality and environmental purity. But she’s also shown another potential future: exploitation so severe that there’s no difference between people and commodities. And Connie herself may decide which future will become reality.
Women Talking by Miriam Toews
Based on real-life events. A group of Mennonite women have secret meetings to discuss the violence in their community. For the past two years, more than 100 women and girls in their colony have been assaulted at night and told by community elders that demons were punishing them. When the group learns they’ve been drugged and attacked by men in their own circle, they must decide how to proceed. Complicating matters, the women lack the ability to read, navigate their area, or even speak the primary language of their country.
