The Power is a pick from my 2018 bucket list of things I *have* to get through before the end of the year (worringly I've got quite a few left still, considering we're in November!). It's something that I've wanted to read since it came out, and I had such high hopes for it that I was left feeling a little deflated. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book, and definitely an interesting read, but it just didn't quite hit the mark for me.
The Power is a sci-fi feminist novel set in an alternative future in which teenage girls start to gain electric powers at around the age of 14/15. As more girls across the globe begin to experience this, the tables are turned on men: now it is men who fear to walk home in the dark, or to go on a first date. Armies of women are beginning to rise up, and men are clinging to political, sexual and physical power in any way they can.
The book is told from four perspectives. Allie's a teenage girl who's escaped from a abusive foster home, and has restyled herself as 'Mother Eve', a new spiritual leader in times of chaos. Tunde is a Nigerian journalist who suffers when he learns what it's like to be an attractive man in a world dominated by angry, powerful women. Roxy is the daughter of a gang-leader from London, who joins forces with Mother Eve to make a difference in the world. And finally, Margaret is a middle aged American politician who needs to make her way through the changing political climate, whilst taking care of her teenage daughter whose power is out of control.
It's something that I would recommend people to read, as it was a powerful novel in that it opened up a whole host of discussions on issues like: sexual violence, whether having power gives you a right to use power, and the awakening of sexuality in young women. However, I really felt as though the writing needed some major work. The ideas behind the plot were so great, but the narrative dragged, and I found myself just wanting to finish the book as soon as possible. This one's a 3 star because of this (but if it was on plot alone, it'd definitely go up to at least a 4!).
Have you read it? What did you think?
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