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The Power

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In 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman, women around the world suddenly develop the ability to generate electricity, leading to a dramatic shift in power dynamics. The story is told through the perspectives of various characters, including a daughter of a London crime family, a young woman claiming the title of Eve, a male reporter, and an American politician and her daughter. The novel explores themes of gender roles, power, religion, politics, and societal upheaval, offering a thought-provoking narrative that challenges assumptions about gender and power structures.

The book delves into a speculative world where women wield electrical power, leading to a reevaluation of societal norms and power structures. Through a mix of characters and perspectives, 'The Power' examines the impact of this newfound power on individuals and society as a whole, raising questions about the potential consequences of such a shift in power dynamics.

Characters:

The characters are layered and complex, each representing different aspects of society's response to the newfound power dynamics, making them both relatable and morally ambiguous.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is clear and engaging, with an emphasis on social commentary and satire, presenting the narrative through direct and accessible prose.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot centers on the sudden emergence of electrical powers in women, leading to a drastic upheaval in societal norms and gender dynamics, ultimately exploring the moral implications of power.

Setting:

The setting is primarily a contemporary world that shifts into a dystopian future where the balance of gender power is radically altered, impacting society globally.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally fast and engaging, although it has moments where the momentum slows down, particularly in the middle sections.
Not very many miracles are required. Not for the Vatican, not for a group of highly strung teenage girls cooped up together for months and in fear of their lives. You don’t need so many miracles. Two ...

Notes:

The novel explores a world where women develop the ability to deliver electric shocks, leading to a dramatic shift in gender dynamics.
The story is told through multiple perspectives, including three women and one man, allowing for a diverse exploration of the implications of power.
The characters include Roxy, the daughter of a crime boss; Allie, an abused foster child who becomes a religious leader; Margot, a politician; and Tunde, a journalist documenting the upheaval.
The premise asks questions about whether women, when given power, would behave differently than men historically have when in power.
The novel suggests that regardless of gender, power can corrupt and lead to violence and abuse, challenging idealistic views of a matriarchal society.
Alderman uses a framing device with letters between a future author and editor, adding depth to the narrative and commentary on historical perceptions of gender roles.
The book is a feminist critique of power structures, raising important questions about morality, justice, and the nature of power itself.
It raises concerns about how quickly society can adapt to a new power structure and the potential for new oppressions to arise.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Includes graphic content such as sexual violence, murder, and physical abuse that may be triggering for some readers.

From The Publisher:

In this stunning bestseller praised as "our era's Handmaid's Tale," a fierce new power has emerged-and only women have it (Washington Post).

In The Power, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family.

But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets. From award-winning author Naomi Alderman, The Power is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways.

"Captivating, fierce, and unsettling…I was riveted by every page. Alderman's prose is immersive and, well, electric." -New York Times Book Review

Ratings (69)

Incredible (10)
Loved It (18)
Liked It (23)
It Was OK (9)
Did Not Like (8)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (158):

Read It (71)
Want To Read (67)
Did Not Finish (7)
Not Interested (13)

3 comment(s)

It Was OK
2 weeks

"The Power" is an interesting novel in that it is presented as a historical novel originally written by a man by is published using a woman's name so it it better embraced by the public. Through the course of "The Power," a ten year time period is explored during which time, women are endowed with the physical power to kill and men are eventually made subservient.

The novel begins with a brief written correspondence between Neil Armon, an author from the Men's Writer's Association to his colleague, Naomi Alderman. Neil sends Naomi his manuscript for "The Power: a historical novel," and asks for her honest feedback. Following their written correspondence, the the novel begins with an excerpt from "The Book of Eve" which provides an explanation of how "the power" forms in the hand of the woman.

"The Power" focuses on four characters: Roxy Monke, a 14 year old London girl with a tough family background, Tunde Edo, a rich 21 year old Nigerian man, Margot Cleary, an ambitious mayor of a American city, and Allie Montgomery-Taylor, a foster kid in the southern United States whose religious parents hide their true nature.

Through the course of ten years, then eight years, then six years, then one year, all four of these characters grow and change as "the power" awakes in young girls and women. Some of the characters adapt and find a role in the newly changing world while other struggle with newly emerging power struggles not only between other countries but also between men and women.

I enjoyed this novel not only because of the way in which each character has a very distinct voice and personality. In addition to liking how the author transforms each character, I also enjoyed the use of illustrated artifacts presented throughout the novel to support that "the power" has been around much longer than initially thought.

The novel ends as it begins with a written correspondence between Naomi and Neil with Naomi praising Neil for the fantastic story telling but questioning the plausibility of only male soldiers and male police officers since all the textbooks and education they have both been given says that such a thing is not possible. This is a thought-provoking novel if for no other reason, it provides the reader with a idea of what type of world would exist if women were endowed with physical power: would they use it for good, evil, or a hybrid of both?

 
Incredible
2 months

This was amazing!! So good and though-provoking.

 
Loved It
3 months

****4.0****

“Gender is a shell game. What is a man? Whatever a woman isn't. What is a woman? Whatever a man is not, Tap on it and it's hollow. Look under the shells: it's not there.”

Naomi Alderman's "The Power" is a fantasy of every woman (at least is mine!!). A world where the power shifts from Men to Women almost rapidly, that is in 10 years of time in the novel, the shift of power is well acknowledged by world.

All this starts when teenage girls start to develop a “skein,” which is an electricity gathering physical organ connected to the collarbone. With the touch of a fingertip, or through water, they can shock another person also they can torture and kill. So this power when starts to be recognised by the people, both men and women, the world starts to change.

“It doesn't matter that she shouldn't, that she never would. What matters is that she could, if she wanted. The power to hurt is a kind of wealth.”

The social media throws both awareness and terror. The countries where women were treated harshly, start treating men harshly. The women go bad, some stay good. A religion gets created which worships a Saintess !!? There are science experiments being done, medicines to be found out to stop this woman power from developing.

“The world is the way it is now because of five thousand years of ingrained structures of power based on darker times when things were much more violent... But we don't have to act that way now. We can think and imagine ourselves differently once we understand what we 've based our ideas on.”

While I was reading it, some parts were felt gory/gross and made me wonder like "God, How can these women do it to that man? he was a good man", then the realization hit me. The situation is exactly same in the world of ours only their roles are reversed.

The most intelligent part was, when the novel begins, It has some letters from Neil Armon’s to Naomi Alderman and it doesn't make much sense. But when the novel ends, the next set of letters changes the whole story and help to conclude it.

The author has taken the real world as it is and shifted the perspective. And it did shock me off my sock as "Margaret Atwood " said :)

A must read !!!

Happy Reading!!!

 

About the Author:

Naomi Alderman is the author of four novels. In 2006 she won the Orange Award for New Writers and in 2007 she was named Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year, as well as being selected as one of Waterstones' 25 Writers for the Future. All of her novels have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime. In 2013 she was selected for the prestigious Granta Best of Young British Writers. She lives in London.

 
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