If You Loved “The Testaments,” You’ll Love These 7 Books

Buried deep underneath the ground, 40 women live imprisoned in a cage. With little memory of their lives before or recollection of how they got there, the women live almost the same day over and over — their only semblance of time is counting between their meals. The fortieth prisoner, a younger girl, will soon prove the key to the others’ escape into a strange new world above ground.

Protagonist Frida Liu is struggling in life between a career unworthy of her immigrant parents and a husband who refuses to give up his younger mistress. The only genuine connection Frida has is with their daughter, Harriet. Though the state has eyes on mothers like Frida and when she has a horrible day as a parent, the state puts her in a Big-Brother like institution of other unfit mothers to determine if she can live up to her role.

Lauren Olamina lives with her family in one of the only safe neighborhoods remaining in the outskirts of LA. Her father is a preacher who, with other citizens, are attempting to salvage what is left of a culture that has been desecrated by drugs, war, water shortages, and diseases. When a fire at the compound kills her entire family, Lauren, along with a handful of other refugees must continue up north with a revolutionary idea to salvage all of mankind.

This book follows a harrowing take of half the population in America being silenced. One day, the government decrees that all women are no longer permitted to speak more than 100 words a day. Lead protagonist Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial — soon women will stop holding jobs, girls will stop learning to read and write and they’ll all lose their voice. Jean sets out to reclaim her own voice and the voices of every woman and girl silenced.

In 1589, Princess Anne of Denmark was betrothed to King James VI of Scotland — a union designed to unite the two countries. Anne intends to be the perfect bride but her plans are hampered when she meets Lord Henry. By her side is her lady’s maid, Kirsten Sorenson who has her own motivations for ensuring the marriage is a success. And a young housemaid dreaming of a better life, Jura, flees to Edinburgh only to find herself caught up in the witchcraft mania that has gripped the capital and the new queen. All three women seek to save each other and themselves in the process.

This dystopian novel is a crossover between “The Virgin Suicides,” and Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Three sisters — Grace, Lia and Sky are raised on a deserted island where the only man they have ever known is their father. He protects their island with barbed wire and buoys to send a signal to the outside world not to enter. When their father goes missing, they retreat more inward until three strange men wash ashore. Between sexual tensions and sibling rivalries, the women must find out if they can survive the men.

Tucked away somewhere in the Hudson Valley is an extravagant retreat with every amenity from personal trainers to daily massages and organic meals and all of it is free. Not just free, but attendees get paid handsomely. There is a catch, of course, and the catch is that for nine months you belong to the Farm and bear the responsibility of producing the perfect baby for wealthy clients. Every move is monitored, you are not permitted to leave the grounds, and your former life is non-existent. Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines is excited to have made it through the rigorous selection process, the only problem is that she has a young daughter on the outside she is eager to connect with. If she leaves early, she will lose the life changing money or discover a worse fate.