She's written across decades, genres, and moods – dystopian nightmares, razor-sharp satires, haunting mysteries, and essays that burn with wit. But whether you’re new to Margaret Atwood's books or a longtime admirer, we're outlining the 9 essentials to add to your reading list.
1. Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts
After decades of insisting she’d never write a memoir, Atwood finally gave in – and it’s worth the wait. Book of Lives is part reflection, part origin story – and perfect for readers who love peeling back the curtain on a creative life.
2. The Handmaid's Tale
If you somehow haven’t read this modern classic, start here. Set in the chilling theocracy of Gilead, it’s dystopian fiction that feels alarmingly plausible. It's won a tonne of awards, and was made into an award-winning TV show too.
3. The Testaments
A sequel that delivers. Set fifteen years after The Handmaid’s Tale, it expands the world through multiple voices. There's a film version in the works too, starring One Battle After Another's breakout actor Chase Infiniti.
4. Oryx and Crake
The first in Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy, this is speculative fiction at its sharpest – science, apocalypse, and dark humourr. Ideal for readers who loved Black Mirror.
5. Hag-Seed
A brilliant retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, but set in a prison theatre program. If you like meta-fiction, redemption arcs, or sly humour, this one’s for you.
6. The Edible Woman
Atwood’s debut novel still bites – literally. This one's a sharp, surreal exploration of consumer culture and female identity. We'd recommend for fans of Fleabag or Ottessa Moshfegh.
7. The Blind Assassin
A novel within a novel, laced with mystery and melancholy. It won both the Booker Prize and the Hammett Prize, and is littered with literary puzzles and emotionally layered storytelling.
8. Burning Questions
Smart, funny, and fiercely observant, these essays showcase Atwood the thinker and cultural commentator.
9. Old Babes in the Wood
Atwood's 2023 short-story collection revisits familiar themes – love, loss, and aging – with warmth and bite. A great re-entry into her work for the long-time admirers.
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