In my opinion The Handmaid's Tale has some truly thought provoking ideas, but the characters and scale of the book don't really allow for an exploration of those ideas.
To me it was reminiscent of Fahrenheit 451: both stories are set in dystopian worlds that are not too far from ours, both play with some big ideas, both universes cry out for expansion, and both stories end on a bit of a dull note.
I assumed there would be, but I haven't read it yet. It's on my list, but it keeps getting bumped down.