
Format Read: Hardcover Edition (385 pages)
Genre: Dystopia/ Sci-fi/ Feminism
Series: Standalone
Source: Purchased
Rating: FIVE STARS
~Amazon~
Suddenly - tomorrow or the day after - girls find that with a flick of their fingers, they can inflict agonizing pain and even death. With this single twist, the four lives at the heart of Naomi Alderman's extraordinary, visceral novel are utterly transformed, and we look at the world in an entirely new light.
What if the power to hurt were in women's hands?
VERDICT:
REVIEW:
This was a disturbing reminder of how who has power shapes our society. One day in the future women develop the ability to use electricity as a weapon through a skein that develops in their collar bone. This concept forces readers to look at how men abuse women by illustrating how brutal women could be if given the means and opportunity. Most of the book is spent exploring how the changing power shifts society, so the characters lives were underdeveloped. Despite this I felt emotionally drawn to the characters."You have been taught that you are unclean, that you are not holy, that your body is impure and could never harbor the divine You have been taught to despise everything you are and to long only to be a man. But you have been taught lies."The book's chapters switch between four people who witness how the world changes. Allie is a mixed-race girl who is worshiped as Mother Eve after escaping years of abuse. Roxy is a daughter from a British crime family. Margot is a American Mayor who is trying to accumulate political power. Tunde is aspiring Nigerian journalist who captures footage of the power in action all over the world. These four watch how power can harm and develop a toxic response out of fear. There are illustrations of artifacts that show men being used as servants and other signs of the power existing centuries ago.
I loved this book, it tells a cautionary tale about how power can be harmful, no matter how well meaning people with power may be. This book is for mature readers because it describes disturbing sexual violence. The horror is made the issues it explored more compelling and memorable. The smart and brave female protagonists were inspiring because they were allowed to live and act without fear. The characters were diverse and the book included settings from around the world. It's great to read a book that is inclusive of the different people and places that may read it. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy stories that make important philosophical parallels to our own world. It was a sad but inspiring read, I will never forget.
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