TLDR/OPinion: 6/10
Hosseini's harrowing microcosmic tale of ​the wider degeneration of his native country, Afghanistan, tells the story of its oppression and corruption at the hands of other nations and terrorists groups from the unique perspective of 2 children. The book travels through history and across countries, a tale of betrayal, heartbreak, inequality and redemption.
Book Reviews and Analysis
THE POWER
BY NAOMI ALDERMAN
TLDR/opinion: 6/10
Despite the evidently engaging and refreshing storyline, Alderman takes the dystopian novel to new heights. Understandably preaching a message for humanity rather than in favour of either gender to discourage gender monopoly of power; Alderman's novel transforms into an excessively graphic and extreme portrayal of female domination. Instead of equality for all, the novel slightly comes across as badmouthing predominantly female authority figures and catastrophises the outcome once the other end of the scales tips.
Contrarily, this hyperbole is perhaps Alderman's way of expressing the negatives to having any gender-specific totalitarian rule - where men have shown in the past the downfalls of the one-man states (i.e. Hitler, Franco etc.) Alderman proleptically predicts the outcome of one-woman states - serving as a didactic message for all in her fight for equality.
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Inversion of Gender Stereotypes
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Megalomania
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Subversion of religion
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Parallelism
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Empowerment
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Power Dynamic
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Emasculation
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Plausibility
Themes:
Personally, despite liking the potential message behind this novel - it is simply too graphic and horrifying to be considered remotely realistic or worthy of empathy - two factors I take very seriously when viewing specifically Dystopia which portrays alternative reality. Certainly dystopian and fantasy novels have elements of the apocryphal however it is the balance between relatability and fiction which creates success; were Alderman to dial down the extremism of her female protagonists it may have been a slightly more comfortable or persuasive read; though perhaps this was her intention?
blurb:
Winner of the 2017 Bailey's Women's Prize, Naomi Alderman's novel details the outcome of female world domination and diverges from the feminist dystopian convention. Initially it depicts a contemporary reality with one minor difference, the women have the power of electrocution, however this female vehicle of empowerment gradually derails into a tool for male oppression. From multiple narrative perspectives Alderman captures the initial magic of such solidarity; however with great power comes great responsibility, and deeming women analogously incapable as men when holding all the power, Alderman creates international pandemonium at the hands of megalomaniac women.
analysis:
FEMINISM - Utterly gynocentric, Alderman focalises on women and their conscious choice to convert power into oppression, oftentimes in recompense for centuries of male supremacy. Alderman interprets feminists as almost biding their time for vengeance for wrongs done to their forerunners. Therefore by mimicking and even elevating the barbarity they become satisfied at the expense of the men; a concept which portrays women as embittered and begrudging perhaps.
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RELIGION - Alderman also has an interesting interpretation of feminised religion as though to take totalitarian rule to the next extreme with blasphemous reorganization of totems and figures of religion.
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The assumption for a female dominated society is one of compassion, weakness and vulnerability (if stereotypes are to be considered), however this novel utterly obliterates this stereotype, doing everything in its power perhaps to negate this stereotype.