What To Read

Ready to explore the genius of Margaret Atwood? This guide takes you through her diverse body of work, from the haunting dystopias of The Handmaid’s Tale to the Booker-winning brilliance of The Blind Assassin. With sharp wit, intricate characters, and thought-provoking themes, Atwood’s novels and short stories will leave you captivated, questioning, and reflecting long after the last page.

The Handmaid's Tale

Begin with The Handmaid’s Tale (1985), the book that made Atwood a cultural force. Set in the theocratic state of Gilead, it explores the violent stripping away of women’s rights and the slow-burning resistance that follows. This chilling dystopia feels disturbingly timeless. The acclaimed TV adaptation starring Elisabeth Moss has brought the story to a whole new generation and is airing its final season this spring.

The Testaments

Follow up with The Testaments (2019), her Booker Prize-winning sequel set fifteen years later, told through three different voices including Aunt Lydia. It expands the Gilead universe and offers both chilling revelations and a more hopeful tone. It’s best appreciated with The Handmaid’s Tale fresh in mind.

Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts

Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts is her long-awaited memoir, available to preorder and releasing in November 2025. If you've ever wondered how Margaret Atwood became, well, Margaret Atwood—this is the one to read. She traces her path from a wild childhood in northern Quebec to the writing of her most iconic books, sharing the real-life moments behind the fiction.

The Blind Assassin

If you love literary mysteries, The Blind Assassin (2000) is essential reading. It begins with the apparent suicide of a woman named Laura Chase, then unspools a series of nested narratives—memoir, pulp science fiction, and buried family secrets—that pull you deeper into the puzzle of what really happened. The novel is rich in atmosphere, full of shifting perspectives, and rewards close reading. It won the Booker Prize and remains one of Atwood’s most critically acclaimed and intricately constructed works

Alias Grace

Alias Grace (1996) is a psychologically layered historical novel based on the real 1843 murder case of Grace Marks, a domestic servant accused of killing her employer. The story unfolds through interviews and fragmented memories, asking what truth really looks like when power, class, and gender distort the lens. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and adapted into a Netflix miniseries.

Old Babes in the Wood: Stories

Old Babes in the Wood: Stories (2023) is one of Atwood’s more recent works, a captivating collection of fifteen short stories that explore love, loss, and memory. With her signature wit and insight, she examines family dynamics and relationships in tales like “Impatient Griselda,” a fresh take on folklore, and “My Evil Mother,” a fantastical mother-daughter story. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves Atwood’s short fiction.

Hag-Seed: William Shakespeare's the Tempest Retold

In Hag-Seed (2016), Atwood reimagines Shakespeare’s The Tempestthrough a disgraced theatre director leading a prison literacy program. The result is a novel that’s full of theatrical flair, clever parallels, and emotional weight, especially as it explores grief, art, and the possibility of redemption.

The MaddAddam Trilogy

This boxed set of the MaddAddam Trilogy, which includes Oryx and Crake (2003), The Year of the Flood (2009), and MaddAddam (2013), is perfect for diving into Atwood’s full dystopian vision. Each book explores the collapse from different perspectives—scientists, eco-survivalists, cult members—and builds toward a grim but darkly hopeful picture of what might come next. Oryx and Crake was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and the trilogy has become a landmark of speculative fiction.

The Penelopiad

For something shorter and more playful, try The Penelopiad (2005), a retelling of The Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective. Speaking from the afterlife, Penelope reexamines her story and the fate of the twelve maids hanged by Odysseus.

Paper Boat: New and Selected Poems: 1961-2023

Paper Boat: New and Selected Poems: 1961–2023 (2023) offers a sweeping retrospective of Atwood’s poetry. Spanning six decades, the collection blends myth, wit, rage, and tenderness—offering a more intimate angle on the concerns that run through her fiction. It’s a fitting companion to her novels or a starting point for readers drawn to her lyrical, condensed voice.

Cat's Eye

Cat’s Eye (1988) is a deep dive into the complexities of female friendship, obsession, and the ghosts that haunt us from childhood. Through the lens of Elaine, a successful artist looking back on her turbulent relationships with her childhood friends, Atwood weaves a narrative that’s equal parts beautiful, painful, and utterly unforgettable.

The Robber Bride

The Robber Bride (1993) follows three women whose lives were wrecked by the manipulative and elusive Zenia, a woman who has a knack for making people fall for her and then leaving them in ruins. This novel is a twisted, darkly funny exploration of the things that bring women together—and tear them apart.

The Edible Woman

The Edible Woman (1969) is Atwood’s debut novel, and it’s a surreal look at the pressures of being a woman in society. Marian, our heroine, begins to lose her appetite—not just for food, but for the world around her. This biting satire is filled with oddball moments, existential dread, and a whole lot of food metaphors.

Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2022

Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces, 2004 to 2022 (2023) is a collection of Atwood’s sharp and thought-provoking essays on everything from literature to politics, gender, and the environment. If you’re curious about her thoughts on the world beyond fiction, this is a fascinating read that showcases her versatility and intellect.

Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales

Stone Mattress: Nine Tales (2014) brings together nine stories that mix the eerie, the sardonic, and the downright unsettling. Whether it's a tale of cold-blooded revenge or a wickedly sharp story about a woman confronting her past, this collection showcases Atwood’s ability to mix humor with the uncanny.