For Tunde, the journalist, his journey is about uncovering and pursuing the truth, no matter how unpopular or dangerous.
She plays with archetypes to explore the other question central to the book: Does power, as the oft-quoted British historian John Dalberg-Acton asserts, inevitably corrupt? Religion, politics and economic themes are embodied by the main characters to explore this question of corruption. And there’s Tunde, a Nigerian boy who fancies himself a photo journalist, who sees what is happening early and realizes it will change the world.Īlderman knits these characters together in a way that makes for a gripping read. Margot is an ambitious politician who watches her teenage daughter struggle to control her power, and manages to capitalize on what is happening. Roxy, the daughter of a powerful London mob boss, electrocutes her mother’s attacker. Once the girls discover they can use their hands to awaken the dormant power in older women, the phenomenon spreads like a virus and the balance of power begins to shift.Įarly in the book we are introduced to Allie, who uses her power to kill her abusive step-father and flee town. Boys their age feel the same way as they witness their friends and girlfriends experiment with their power. At first, the girls don’t know how to control it it’s at once scary and exciting. The power is stored in a “skein” under their collarbones and awakens when the girls turn 15. The story unfolds as teenage girls begin to discover their bodies hold a deadly electrical power they can unleash from their hands. All peace and love, right? Her answer was not what I expected. This is a central question Naomi Alderman asks in her dystopian novel, The Power(Viking Press, 2016). What would the world be like if women were in charge? “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” ~ John Dalberg-Acton Photo by Mervyn Chan/ Unsplash By Michelle Larstone
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