March Book Club by Deborah Rogers
Thank you for the patience of those who came out to a really well-attended meeting for the wait whilst the Shoal Centre tried to accommodate our numbers. With the library closed for renovation we are having to do our best to find a meeting space. Thanks also for letting me know that there are many of you who read along with the group, but don’t attend the meetings. That was my hope when we started the book club. As anticipated, our selection for March sparked lots of debate! Naomi Alderman’s The Power was first published in 2016 and has become a bit of a phenomenon in the past year. Even Barack Obama has got on board, endorsing this thought-provoking book. The Power fits in the sci-fi genre, positing a time and place that is familiar to us, but with a big difference. In the world presented in the book, women develop a physical power that makes them stronger than men. That’s a pretty simple concept for sci-fi, but it’s where Alderman takes us that is extraordinary. Mentored by Margaret Atwood, Alderman’s angle is unashamedly feminist. The world she presents us with as the women in the book learn to use their power to gain power and influence is dark, violent and fear-filled. Well, it is for men. Using four main characters whose stories become interwoven, we see a world descending into terror and authoritarianism. Many of our readers found the violence presented too much to stomach. Our discussion focused a lot around this. Perhaps there was a generational split, with those used to The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead more able to countenance the subject. I also wondered if a part of the unpalatability was that it was women committing these rapes and murders. It’s something depicted in every murder mystery, but very rarely with a female protagonist. The message that power corrupts is woven through the book. But so too is the obvious implication that all this book has done is transpose some pronouns: the endgame of the inequality demonstrated in this dystopian world might be cartoonish in its extremity, but the nature of the inequality is only that of the world we currently live in, where men’s power has determined society for millennia. I’ve focused on the darkness and violence, but in fact the book has lots of fun in it too. There’s a marvellous ending that causes a real mind-flip and throughout lots and lots of layers. It feels like a very modern book, using our current obsessions to reflect back to us. From start to finish there are moments that cause a reader to stop and question everything they take as normal. At our next meeting on April 17 we’ll be discussing First Snow, Last Night by Wayne Johnston – an author coming to the Sidney Literary Festival. Find out where we’ll be meeting by visiting www.seasidemagazine.ca/book-club.
Inspiration The First Ingredient to Good Home Cooking Ready to stir things up in your kitchen this spring? Tanner’s Books has a huge selection of cook books to help keep you inspired. With over 300 titles on the shelves, and many more available to order in store or online, you’ll be spoilt for choice. Because variety is the spice of life you’ll find every taste bud catered to! International cuisine, healthy eating, gluten-free, desserts, baking and all the celebrity chefs you love - we have something for every kitchen.
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APRIL 2019 | SEASIDEMAGAZINE.CA 49