The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
I have to say my hopes were not high–returning many years later to write a sequel to a very successful novel after it has become culturally relevant anew–but this novel largely ended up being able to stand on its own (minus what felt to me like an unnecessary epilogue). Three female narrators whose stories come together, a history of the horrors that occurred as it all began that’s all too believable, and a big, dangerous heist — not to mention a complex and deeply morally ambiguous woman at the center make for a really good read, even aside from the commentary on gender and power. I remember Salman Rushdie saying something once, at a reading, to the effect that if you tell a good story while you’re doing it, you can make people read anything. I think there’s enough story and adventure here to keep readers who aren’t interested in feminism.
Amy P. Knight 