A review by laura_abbott
The Power by Naomi Alderman

Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
This book is extremely disappointing from an intersectionally feminist point of view. Two things really bothered my partner and I about this book:
  • Non-western cultures are portrayed in a very overly-simplified, stereotyped ways. It is very clear that the book was not passed by any kind of sensitivity reader, as no non-western women were given a voice at all-- these countries and cultures are all described through the perspective of a man. All non-white cultures are described as oppressive and conservative, without any nuance or depth given to the characters in western cultures. 
  • The book is a violent revenge fantasy-- which, if it acknowledged itself as such, might actually have an inkling of the empowerment it purports to provide. Instead, it simply reverses the oppressive direction of the gender binary in an utterly pointless, violent way. This, according to the author herself, was apparently the goal of the book (in order to illustrate what a dystopian world we live in-- as if we didn't know). Instead the author's radical portrayal illustrates her alarmingly limited understanding of feminist theory-- let alone intersectional feminism-- and willingness to throw away decades of work feminists have spent disabusing people of the mistaken notion that feminism is about establishing a matriarchy. The fact the author believes a future run by a violent and oppressive matriarchy would be 'empowering' for women is sick.
  • Finally, I just can't buy into the level of extreme decision-making the author depicts in the book. She writes all characters as if they are secretly waiting for the opportunity to hurt another, just for the fun of it. She then escalates this predatory mentality to the scale of nations. It's not only a perverted depiction of women, it's a perverted depiction of humanity as a whole.
The fact this book is being hailed as a feminist landmark is extremely problematic, and I am tremendously disappointed in the response this book has received.



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