The Power by Naomi Alderman is an adult dystopian novel.
Imagine a world where you wake up one day and the balance of power has shifted. A world where the power lies in the hands (or collar bones) of women.
When the change happened it started slow. At first only teenage girls could feel the power and produce electrical sparks. But soon women everywhere could wield the electricity lying beneath their skin. And from there, things happened quickly.
And when something like this happens in a world where women are oppressed and considered the weaker sex, how might this change the way we live?
Ooo. This one has a lot of triggers, so a warning for our sensitive readers: rape, violence, language and some fairly graphic images. But if you are reading The Power for a book club, like I am, then there is a lot to talk about. I can see a lot of opinions and back and forth happening as we discuss the book.
Overall, I am not sure quite how I feel about this book. It was interesting to read a book where women get power and the world isn’t better for it. I think, at least part of this book, aims to be a commentary on how power corrupts, period.
I did like the narrative of this book. I enjoyed the rotating points of view and how they did intertwine but not completely. I did, at first struggle with the fact that we were reading a fictional history of what may or may not have happened five-thousand years earlier. It didn’t work as an opener for me BUT it was an excellent closing. I really enjoyed the back and forth between the male writer and the female reviewer–especially that closing line! I had sort of a “ha!” reaction.
As for the characters and the plot, it was rough to read and unfortunately very believable. The way the author had the conflicts start to devolve and break down, was just so plausible. I sort of cringe hoping we don’t get to that point, in society, where we’re just like, “eh, screw it.” Scary to think about honestly.
I am very interested to see what my fellow book club members think because I can foresee some serious reactions. This one gets 4 stars from me.
That’s all for now!
-M-
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