Book of the month January 2017 - The Power by Naomi Alderman

[RachelMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce our first book of the month for 2017 will be Naomi Alderman's thrilling new novel, The Power. Find out more about the book. Join us in reading The Power over Christmas, post up your feedback on this thread and join the discussion with other readers and author Naomi, on here between 9 and 10pm on Monday 23 January.

If you fancy joining MN bookclub next year, discover all the books we'll be reading in the first 6 months of 2017 - both fiction and non-fiction. Each month we'll be offering up a chance to access free copies of all these books, and join the authors and other readers for webchats from the comfort of your own home (no babysitter required). Do make sure you're signed up to the books newsletter to ensure you have the up-to-date info on all book giveaways and author webchats.

Just started it. Used to work at the same law firm as Naomi and remember seeing an email saying she had left to be a writer - was impressed and envious! Seems to have worked out for her incredibly well!

I really liked this book. I found it to be very plausible alternative reality (other than the actual "power") if the balance of power swung to women at this point in our history. I'd like to think that women would never be as vindictive and abusive as those portrayed in the book, but then I have never been abused, oppressed or diminished so severely solely because of my gender. I really enjoyed the paths my mind wandered along and the questions I started asking myself while reading this novel. Would I go along with the crowd? Would I let the power get to me?

Ever a skeptic, I wonder whether Neil's dear friend Naomi took the credit for his book after suggesting he publish under a woman's name?

I also thought this was an exceptional book!

How one sex can be made to seem inferior to the opposite sex because of physical, mental and sexual abuse is terrifying. But this is such a good read :)

The book is strong, emotive and really does have 'power'. Will this be made into a film?

Thanks for a great read, a fabulous start to 2017

A very interesting thought provoking book

Apparently it's going to be made into a TV series, the rights have already been bought. Will look forward to that!

Just popping on to say I'm almost finished 'The Power' - hoping to do so by Monday and am loving it so far. A compelling and challenging read. I'll be back!

An intriguing and thought provoking novel. It was, however, definitely not an easy read. It is quite depressing to think that regardless of which gender has the 'Power', the one in control will be corrupted and turned into an abusive, oppressive force. I really don't think I could stomach watching a TV programme or film at the cinema about such a violent and brutal dystopia.

Finished! What an excellent book, and a perfect, if challenging and upsetting read for this particular weekend. I am actually feeling very emotional having read this with the backdrop of Trump's inauguration and the global women's marches. The book challenges every step of the way. There are some breathtakingly upsetting and violent scenes but I felt they were entirely justified. What will stay with me is that every time something happened that seemed far-fetched or too horrific, I was immediately hit by the sobering and horrifying fact that something like it was already happening to women somewhere in the world.

I am very glad I read this book so thank you very much for my free copy, and thank you Naomi for writing it! I am trying to think of an incisive, intelligent question to ask you but at the moment my brain is just still whirring too much!

www.goodreads.com/review/show/1865938957?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
I really enjoyed this as you can see from this review

I loved this book, too.

Naomi Alderman is a brilliant writer. Try The Liar's Gospel! Excellent!

Didn't get a free copy but I bought it anyway and am about half way through.

I'm honestly not sure if I like it. At the point I am at, the men are nothing but evil bastards and target practice. Seems sexist but in reverse. I actually considered ditching it last night. Should I carry on?

Definitely carry on. I had doubts early on, but ended up absolutely loving it. Original, very different, great action and fun.

I've just finished reading this and enjoyed it very much. It is a very thought-provoking read, and certainly as other readers have mentioned, it can be unsettling to witness how women use their power.

I'd like to ask Naomi: if you had the chance to have 'the power', would you take it? And if so, how would you use it?

Thank you!

Excited for the Web chat! I am on my second read through and I love it more than the first. Trying to figure out what happened at "the cataclysm".
Naomi, can you tell us or is it spoilers?

I want to thank MumsNet for the opportunity to read this remarkable novel. This is not my typical literature genre, and my first encounter with Naomi Alderman's books and I have to say, that I am really impressed. The book is very philosophical and thought provoking. It highlights the problems and issues woman face everyday in our society. My questions for Naomi Alderman are:

1. When did the idea for the book first come to you, and what provoked it?
2. What was the society reaction you aiming for, writing "The Power"?

Thank you

DH (who read it first) loved this book even more than me!

I particularly liked the pictures of "artifacts" - although I also winced slightly, as I remembered my own postdoctoral research which aimed to re-read Sumerian texts to find support for earlier goddess cultures....

Like a pp, the only part of the book I wasn't mad about was the introductory section, which I felt was a bit didactic and didn't leave space for the reader to slowly draw their own conclusions through the course of the text. So I'd love to know whether Naomi planned to include that from the beginning, or if that was a narrative device added in at the end because the publishers didn't trust her audience to "get it"?

What a thought-provoking read! Uncomfortable and difficult at times, it really got me thinking. It's one I'll be passing on to friends to read.

I would love to see this on TV. Any insight as to when that might happen?

My questions for Naomi Alderman are:

Have you studied or read sociology / psychology? Did that influence your writing.

The reason I ask is that you seem to have girls dealing with a number of "social issues coming from different cultures and values" You have one girl who from a "Crime family- struggling to take power over her male counterparts . While other girls come from homes were traditional family bonds have broken down. Ie single homes , abusive relationships. So do you think that how women are perceived in society is based on their location, culture, family values ?

Secondly You also seem to be dealing with the theme of Matriarch throughout the book - For example how the nuns treat the girls at the start of the book versus the ladies in tribes at the end of the book. Again are you trying to get readers to think about the term Matriarch. How does society and culture define this. What causes it to work, or break down.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

My question is, thinking about the the fact that the abuse that women experience worldwide every day would vanish overnight if girls and women had ' the power', does that mean that women are doomed to experience oppression just because ' men can'?

Also, I'd like to believe that, if women were in control, we would create a much kinder world, however, your book seems to suggest that women would be just abusive as men if they they were able to inflict violence as a means of control. I find out this quite a bleak viewpoint and makes me think that we are no better than men and will abuse pp, " just because we can".Are we no better than this?

Also, I was wondering did you think this, as its too hard to envisage a truly equal world and that one gender will always oppress the other because of a biological advantage?

Loved the book by the way! It was original and truly compelling!

Naomi, we're really thrilled that you're able to join us for a webchat tonight. We were all completely gripped by The Power over Christmas and I know mumsnetters are bursting to chat to you about this epic novel. Welcome Naomi Alderman....

Hello hello! Lovely to be here, this is my first time at a chat like this!

I've been secretly waiting for about an hour until the correct time to start this chat! So I'll go through and answer questions, and hopefully we can have a good conversation about feminism and 'who we'd like to electrocute'.

@ElizaBenson

I've just read this today, it left me feeling quite uncomfortable and disturbed, not that I disliked it, its just a good book for really making you think

Not sure if this counts as a question or not, but here it is so I'm replying. Yes I suppose I do think the world is often quite uncomfortable and disturbing....

@Reastie

I've read an interview with the author where she says she was ready to give up on the book and the final version is quite different to the original text. I would love to ask her has she ever given up on a book previously and is she ever tempted to go back to it and reinvent it and finish it to be published.

I often wonder how many ideas novelists come up with; whether they are constantly thinking of new novel ideas, many of which may never get much further than rough notes, or whether they have rare glints of inspiration which they keep tight and use as a basis of a book (sadly I get neither!).

I have a whole novel that I wrote when I was 19 (I know, I know...) - it was an 'apprentice piece' and I learned a lot from writing it, but I don't think it'll ever see the light of day! Having said that, it's going to be part of my 'archive' - where universities take a writer's papers and stuff and keep them for academics to look at, so that's quite an honour!

I have loads more ideas for novels than I can possibly write - at least four or five good ideas during the writing of each book. Which is a bit traumatic in a way. There are a few nice books in my head that will probably never be written...