The Power

“She cuppeth the lightning in her hand. She commandeth it to strike.”

I had already had this book on my to-read list for an upcoming book club meeting when it also appeared on President Obama's best of the year list. Often I try and get my books from the library, but the wait was so long, and book club is next week, so I went ahead and purchased it from Amazon, eager to read it not only because of the content of the story but also because of the glowing recommendation from our former leader (sigh... remember when presidents read books?!)

Well, it was... something. I'm still processing my thoughts and feelings about it, but boy, was it not what I expected. It started off really strong; the passages about feminine power awakening were incredibly moving and powerful, especially when used to defend oneself in a traumatic moment. And Tunde's introduction gave me chills. It was so spot on with regards to the mixed feelings of fear and eroticism that can be present in such tense moments with a significant power differential at play.

From then on, the story takes off, following the three main characters as this mysterious power spreads across the world, and manifests itself in women young and old. Alderman explores the geopolitical ramifications of "the power" through religion, crime, politics, and journalism, while also counting down towards a mysterious critical point. I loved the idea of Bessapara, women rising up from chains and slavery and creating a home for themselves, and women embracing the divine feminine and rewriting the gospels in an empowering way. There were truly some beautiful moments in this book that in some ways mirror the cultural moment we are experiencing, where women are finally empowered enough to speak up about sexual assault, where #metoo has become a rallying cry and not an experience to feel shameful about. From there though, Alderman take is to a dark place. With power comes power, and we quickly see how power also corrupts, as the narrative reaches a critical breaking point just before resolving. 

Going into it, I expected it to remain on a more personal scale for each of the characters, and was pleasantly surprised to see it taken to the global scale that it was. That being said, I fundamentally disagree with Alderman's dystopian predictions. I do truly believe the world will be better off with more women in positions of power, and I hope every election ahead of us gets us closer and closer to a more just and kind world. Alderman shows us a cautionary tale, and hopefully, it remains firmly in the land of fiction. 

3.5/5 stars, because even though I couldn't put it down, I completely disagree with the direction it took!