The only wave that changes anything is a tsunami. You have to tear down the houses and destroy the land if you want to be sure no one will forget you.
Rating: 5/5
Trigger Warnings: abuse, violence, war, rape
Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t read the book, this review will contain spoilers so it’s up to you if you continue…
So. I’m not gonna lie. It’s been a while since I read this. Kind of forgot to write a review at the time. Nevertheless, I am going to write one! Forgive me if it’s a little sketchy though, like I said, been a while. That being said, I love this book. Love love love it. My housemate recommended and lent it to me, and I devoured it in just a week.
The Power is a science fiction by Naomi Alderman based on the premise of women developing an ability to release electrical jolts from their bodies. There are several narrators, all from different backgrounds and all with their own stories: a local American politician and mother, the daughter of a London Mob Boss, a foster girl who lives with a hyper-religious family, and a Nigerian boy journalist who links the other narratives, stitching together the geographically vast plot of the book.
Each narrator is given their own space, a chance to develop, and a chance for us to become attached to each one individually, even as each one vies for our support and affection. What I loved about this method of narration (not to mention the framed narrative which you forget even exists a couple of chapters in) is that we see the revolution from several different perspectives. These characters are racially diverse, span from teenager to mother, are both male and female, their political motives vary, as does their interest in the electrical phenomenon. Alderman has given each character their own voice, even in a third person narrative, and none of them feel underdeveloped or forgotten about, despite the sheer amount of plot.
The book was phenomenal anyway, but I was sold the instant the big twist came. Now this isn’t a spoiler free review but I shan’t divulge the details of the big twist just in case! Let it be said, however, that I have never been as surprised - and pleased - by a twist in a piece of literature as I was with this. There are twists and turns throughout, the book being well paced and narration varying and crossing over enough to keep it interesting without skimming over (or giving too long) to any particular character, but this major turn in the narrative is…well it’s so well done that you won’t even see it coming.
If you’re looking for anymore reviews in order to convince you to read The Power, I recommend this one, and if you feel like joining a conversation about it, feel free to message me! I genuinely cannot recommend this book enough - there are so many subtleties I can’t possibly cover or express, but it is an incredibly well written, probing book, asking all the right questions about power dynamics and gender.
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