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The Power
400 pages, 2019
The world in Naomi Alderman's The Power is recognizable: there is a rich Nigerian youngster who relaxes by the family pool, a foster girl whose religious parents hide their actual character, a local American politician, and a fierce London girl from a complicated family.
However, something significant has changed in their lives—they now possess enormous physical power and can inflict excruciating pain or even death on others. And the world alters completely as a result of this slight twist of nature, which causes these five characters' lives to collide in catastrophic ways.
This astonishing novel by Naomi Alderman, a Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year and a Granta Best of British writer, is not only a thrilling drama about how the world would change if women held power but also exposes our modern society with breathtaking courage.
Naomi Alderman's The Power explores a world where women suddenly gain the ability to produce electricity from their bodies. This power shift leads to a complete societal upheaval, showing us how power dynamics can drastically change society.
The Power doesn't just show us a world where women are in control. It also digs into the darker side of power, showing us that it can corrupt and lead to violence, regardless of who wields it.
Alderman uses religion as a tool to explore power dynamics. She creates a new religion led by a woman, showing us how religion can be used to control and manipulate people.
Fear plays a big role in The Power. Alderman shows us how fear can be used as a tool to control others, and how those in power often use fear to maintain their position.
The Power is told from multiple perspectives, allowing us to see the story from different angles. This shows us that everyone's experience of power is different, and that our perspective can greatly influence how we see the world.
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The Power is a fascinating look at what the world might be like if millennia of gender roles were flipped overnight.
Barack Obama - 44th U.S. PresidentElectrifying! Shocking! Will knock your socks off! Then you'll think twice, about everything.
Margaret Atwood - Canadian Poet, NovelistThe Power is our era's The Handmaid's Tale.
Ron Charles - Book CriticThe Power is a subtly funny, lyrical and utterly subversive vision of an impossible future.
Justine Jordan - Literary Editor