A review by mfsquared
The Power by Naomi Alderman

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

To be frank, I'm not sure how to tease apart the quality of the book from the fact that I disliked it (or rather, disliked its premise and conclusions / message). Did I think it was well-written? If memory serves me right, I didn't think it was badly written. Did I think it was an interesting concept? Sure. But it irritated me, I didn't enjoy reading it, and once I finished it I did not understand what all of the hype was about. Part of what I found so uninspired was the idea that you write a book about a literal power reversal (not subtle) between men and women and you just... Turn it into a story where the same terrible things happen in the world as before, but now women are perpetuating them and men are the victims? It didn't feel original or meaningful to me, just frustrating.
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