Mara Braun ‘The Power’ Book Review

THE POWER BY NAOMI ALDERMAN

Content warning: This book contains graphic scenes of violence and sexual violence.

The story begins in a patriarchal world, like ours. Suddenly, women and girls all over the world develop a power. They realise they have a biological ability to electrocute… should they choose. This catalyses a shift in power structures all over the world.

Margot states: “Nothing that either of these men says is really of any great significance, because she could kill them in three moves…It doesn’t matter that she shouldn’t, that she never would. What matters is that she could, if she wanted. The power to hurt is a kind of wealth.” (Chapter 10)

The book begins in a patriarchy and ends in a matriarchy. The story unfolds over the course of that transition. This book explores the idea that the patriarchy and it’s subsequent power dynamics do not result from a hierarchy of ‘masculine’ attributes over ‘feminine’. Rather, that it is human nature to have such attributes in this hierarchy regardless of how they are culturally gendered.

Now, many vehemently disagree with this book’s portrayal of human nature. Particularly it’s conclusion - that the assumption that attributes such as compassion are inherently female or aggression inherently male - is a social construct.

If we take a step back from this emotional interrogation of our identities, and instead, analyse the fictional universe, we can enjoy some enticing brain food. The book concludes in a world with the same problems as ours but with one (in) significant difference. Women are on top and men… are the fairer sex.

Photo by Mara Braun (she/her)

When they look back to prehistoric times, they rationalize that men cared for the family and home. Their physical strength made the work of hoisting babies and laundry easy. While women, with their power to electrocute, were clearly best suited to hunting and protecting the home from threat. In the modern day, they have issues such as: the gender pay gap, one sex considered too emotional to hold a position of power and rape culture; but here: men are the overwhelming victims. What this book allows us to inspect is not just the patriarchy; but more specifically, having power structures based on the idea that one gender has supremacy over the other.

The book centres five narratives, allowing the book’s varying perspective to be quite intersectional, however it is mostly western-centric (unsurprising given the author’s English background). The Power follows the change in behaviour and perspective of: Margot and her political career, Tunde and his journalistic career, Roxy and her families criminal organisation, Ali and her ascension from forgotten orphan into religious messiah, and Jos and her military career.

Of note is Tunde’s story. Not only does his journalism take us all over the world, but he is also the only recurring man whose perspective is explored within the book.

At the beginning, Tunde is a cocky journalism student whose relationship to sex is that he is dominant. Being male, this assumption is reinforced by societies frequent portrayal of relationships. However, as women begin to develop the power, this assertion begins to warp and shift into something else. Tunde is no longer so domineering, he begins to have a heightened awareness of his body and safety.

Through the weaving of these stories, we see many changes in societal organisation. Religion, oppression, safety, sex, politics and more are all investigated in this action-packed read.

I see this book as a warning, the world should not be ruled by a single gender. Instead we should be working together to create a future where we can all thrive equitably.

Written by Mara Braun (she/her)

Maya Verena (she/her)

Brunswick West

Photo by Mara Braun (she/her)