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A review by tymaa2
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Let us summarize the story of the book- in a fictional world, adolescent females (and some adult females) are endowed with a unique power; their bodies can generate electricity that could inflict pain or cause death, and they use it to taunt males. The story is told through 4 POVs, three females and one male, to show the power of THE Power.
Now, let us examine the significance of the book- what if women had leverage over men? What are the social, psychological, spiritual, and political impacts of that leverage? How does that leverage integrate with the individual's identity? How do superiority and inferiority complexes play a role in social and political hierarchies?
Here is my impression of the book- The storyline felt intriguing. The characters felt see-through, their disposition predictable. The writing felt dry and deficient in literary devices. I could not pick up on many emotions except for anxiety, not that the book advertised a potent emotional tone, but it is a preference of mine to witness the emotive undercurrents. I finished the book, so something about the book must have kept me going, and my bet is on the plot.
Final note- Is it not funny that even in an imagined world, females need a 'superpower' to be on par with men? As if the task is impossible, for females and males to be equal, without an unnatural ability? It struck me that this premise had to be fitted into a Dystopian/Sci-Fi framework to exist, and I would like to see a version stripped of the extraordinariness.
Now, let us examine the significance of the book- what if women had leverage over men? What are the social, psychological, spiritual, and political impacts of that leverage? How does that leverage integrate with the individual's identity? How do superiority and inferiority complexes play a role in social and political hierarchies?
Here is my impression of the book- The storyline felt intriguing. The characters felt see-through, their disposition predictable. The writing felt dry and deficient in literary devices. I could not pick up on many emotions except for anxiety, not that the book advertised a potent emotional tone, but it is a preference of mine to witness the emotive undercurrents. I finished the book, so something about the book must have kept me going, and my bet is on the plot.
Final note- Is it not funny that even in an imagined world, females need a 'superpower' to be on par with men? As if the task is impossible, for females and males to be equal, without an unnatural ability? It struck me that this premise had to be fitted into a Dystopian/Sci-Fi framework to exist, and I would like to see a version stripped of the extraordinariness.