‘The Power’ by Naomi Alderman

April 24, 2019April 24, 2019 ~ Caitlin Marion Dermidy ~ Leave a comment

The Power by Naomi Alderman is a science fiction novel that looks at sexism and how the world would be if the women were the dominant gender.

The book was released in 2016 and in June 2017 it won the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction.

I really enjoyed this book and as I was reading it I couldn’t put it down. It is a book with action, emotion and great characters. It tackles a big topic but it does it in an interesting way.

It looks at sexism if the dominant gender was female and Alderman manages to turn the world on its head with ease. The way that at one point the world realizes that the women have the power to electrocute and use these powers is interesting. The way that everyone in the book and their society changes. Where the men are scared to go out at night and need to have a female guardian. Although sexism in the real world is not expressed in this way and its not as clean cut as men or women cannot walk at night a lot of fiction depicts it as this way. Therefore to see it opposite to what you usually come across is exciting and new. it shows what the wolrd could be like if society didn’t and doesn’t continue to tackle sexism (with a science fiction twist)

I thought that the characters in this book were great and the way the book was structured around these characters and their viewpoints was a good way to combat this story. Each character was able to bring something to the book that made it more interesting and a talking point. What would happen if a women in government had the power? what happened if a girls power wasn’t working the way it should have? what happens if a boy has it? what happens when the female takes over the family crime business?

All the different characters allowed you to see the events surrounding the discovery much more comprehensible and gave you an insight into the size and scale of the effects surrounding it. I personally liked Roxy the best, she had done bad stuff and did run a criminal organisation but I felt her character was the most likable. Especially towards the end of the book after something life changing effects her. She goes into hiding and when she resurfaces we get to see the real Roxy again. One of the main characters Allie I also liked but I felt her ‘Mother Eve’ persona was starting to change her and effect her choices, not necessarily for the better.

As I mentioned above the structure of the book is written by character rather than chapter. The book is separates into sections based on time periods but similar size to chapters are alternate sections of different characters viewpoint and opinions. I think this worked well for this book as there was a lot going on and many sub-plots and it was easy to keep a track of when structured this way. The book is very well written which helped to keep confusion at bay.

The story itself is exciting and enthralling to read but after the fist half or just before you realize that this power is not a good discovery as people begin to use it foe violence and to get what they want.

This book is one I loved and would highly recommend you read it. I really liked Alderman’s writing style and I cannot wait to read another of her books!

Many thanks, Caitlin x

(PS please comment whether you have read this books or any from the same author)

This Splintered Silence – Mini Review

January 25, 2019September 1, 2020 ~ Caitlin Marion Dermidy ~ Leave a comment

This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson is a YA Science Fiction novel set on the Lusca Space Station. Ever since every first generation crew member was killed by a deadly virus Lindley Hamilton has had to step up and become commander like her mother. Lindley and her 5 fellow friends step up to become the people in charge and we follow Lindley’s journey as she faces challenge after challenge. After members of the surviving population start to die she must figure out why and how to stop more deaths.

I really enjoyed this book and I was quite surprised that I did. I am not usually a fan of science fiction books or books set in the future however this book had mystery and suspense throughout. As we read we find out what exactly is happening on the space station alongside Lindley and are given no extra information which allows the reader to find out what has actually happened right at the end of the book at the same time as the characters. The story line is engaging and well thought out with challenges such as lack of water that is generally only something that relates to being in space.

Lindley Hamilton is a strong female lead in this novel and we see how she changes after every new challenge appears. She is vulnerable like everyone else and we do get to see that side of her as she copes with becoming commander so young and with little inexperience. Her mother greatly influences her time as commander and we can see how she puts this into practice. Although all the first gen crew members and the survivors parents are no longer there we can see how they are helping the characters every day. She has been thrown into a very intense role and we get the chance to see inside her head and understand exactly what she is feeling and thinking.

I really liked the characterisation in this book. They are realistic and genuine. They are not all portrayed as completly capable and knowledgable and we can see the strain the deaths have put on them. As new deaths appear and challenges including low food and water supplies we see how the relationships between the characters change. This novel is strongly character based which I enjoyed as you got to see them grow. The novel often focuses more on the characters reactions (mainly Lindley as it is written from her POV) that the actual events themselves which is an intriguing read.

The structure of this novel is something I really enjoyed as well. It is written in short chapters which often makes me read more in a sitting. If I am reading and decide to stop I often say to myself ‘the next chapters only a couple pages long, I will read that and then stop’. I rarely say that once as well. It think this obviously says something about the story as I don’t want to put the book down however shows how the writer can use the structure to this advantage.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to readers of YA, Science Fiction or Mystery novels as it contains elements of all. I would also recommend this book to readers who like a strong character based book like myself. I really enjoyed this book and the style of writing and I would love to read more from this novel in the future!

Many thanks, Caitlin x

(PS please comment if you have every read this book or have any Science Fiction recommendations)