Tuesday Book Club: “The Power” by Naomi Alderman
This week Andrew Pople brought in a speculative fiction novel he found on his travels in Oxford- Naomi Alderman’s “The Power” (2016). Women across the world are quite literally waking up to their power- a muscle across their collarbone (the “skein”) can conduct electricity, allowing them to discharge deadly electrical shocks through their fingers.
The phenomenon goes viral on social media, leading to a worldwide empowerment of women, but also intense violence and societal upheaval. Written under Margaret Atwood’s mentorship, the book makes a compelling argument against gendered relationship dynamics.
