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A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Power by Naomi Alderman
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I have had this book on my radar for over a year now, but I was initially interested because this book is set in a world where women have more power than men. I have also always enjoyed dystopian-style books, so I was excited to try an adult dystopian.
"The Power" follows a handful of different points of view in a near future world in which women have suddenly developed this electric power. Because of this power, women take charge and start ruling the world. But, with great power some women are finding it difficult to not become corrupted.
For a book about a physical power that can kill someone almost instantly, I thought this book was paced very slowly. It took me so long to get into the story, and it really hindered my enjoyment. While I was reading this story, I thought it was so ludicrous to see that the women were corrupted by power and the men were disgruntled by their new place in the world, but I think that is the point. Whether we like it or not, women are treated as lesser in every aspect of life in our world, and the men do not want to give up the power they wield because they are afraid of the competition and inferiority that may be brought on by having women in power. When you read that women are in charge and causing all of this chaos, it sounds crazy, and I think that says way more about our society than it should.
I did enjoy that one of the perspectives we got was from a male journalist. He was such a great ally to women and did not seek to take their power away. He appeared like a neutral third party and was able to report without bias on the chaos that inevitably ensued because of this power.
Overall, I enjoyed what this book was trying to do, and the message it was trying to convey, but for me it just fell short kind of short in some ways.
"The Power" follows a handful of different points of view in a near future world in which women have suddenly developed this electric power. Because of this power, women take charge and start ruling the world. But, with great power some women are finding it difficult to not become corrupted.
For a book about a physical power that can kill someone almost instantly, I thought this book was paced very slowly. It took me so long to get into the story, and it really hindered my enjoyment. While I was reading this story, I thought it was so ludicrous to see that the women were corrupted by power and the men were disgruntled by their new place in the world, but I think that is the point. Whether we like it or not, women are treated as lesser in every aspect of life in our world, and the men do not want to give up the power they wield because they are afraid of the competition and inferiority that may be brought on by having women in power. When you read that women are in charge and causing all of this chaos, it sounds crazy, and I think that says way more about our society than it should.
I did enjoy that one of the perspectives we got was from a male journalist. He was such a great ally to women and did not seek to take their power away. He appeared like a neutral third party and was able to report without bias on the chaos that inevitably ensued because of this power.
Overall, I enjoyed what this book was trying to do, and the message it was trying to convey, but for me it just fell short kind of short in some ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Death, Child death, Murder, Torture, Rape, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Stalking, Physical abuse, Misogyny, and Hate crime