The Power (Alderman novel)
A novel where women develop electrical powers and become dominant.
The Power is a 2016 science fiction novel by British author Naomi Alderman. The story’s central idea is that women suddenly gain the ability to shoot electricity from their fingers, which flips the gender hierarchy and makes them the dominant sex. The book won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017.
The novel is structured as a book within a book: a manuscript written by a man named Neil Adam Armon (an anagram of Naomi Alderman) and submitted to the author Naomi Alderman for feedback. The manuscript is a fictional history of the 21st century, set 5,000 years in the future, when women became the dominant gender after developing the power to emit electricity. It includes research meant to fill in the gaps leading up to the Cataclysm, an event in which one of the newly empowered women destroyed all modern technology.
The story opens with a letter from a male writer in the "Men Writer's Association," asking Alderman to read his historical novel and praising her profusely. The plot follows four main characters as girls around the world start showing electrical abilities. Roxy, the English daughter of a gangster, uses her power to defend herself when her mother is attacked, but one attacker kills her mother. Tunde, an aspiring male journalist in Nigeria, films women using their new power and posts the footage online. Margot, a mayor, discovers her daughter Jocelyn is developing the power. Allie, a foster child, kills her abusive foster father with her power and then hides in a convent.
The power comes from an electricity-generating organ called the "skein," found almost exclusively in women. Older women, including Margot, gain the ability from younger women. The phenomenon is blamed on various causes, but hopes for a cure fade. Tunde’s reputation gives him unique access to places like Saudi Arabia to document growing revolutions. Allie, now calling herself "Eve," learns to use her power for healing and becomes the leader of a reinterpreted, matriarchal religious movement. Roxy kills the man she thinks is responsible for her mother’s death and goes to America, where she meets Eve and agrees with her message of empowerment. Margot sets up training camps for girls to use their powers, using her proactive response to launch a gubernatorial campaign. She uses her power on her opponent in a debate, but the show of strength wins over voters, and she becomes gov
- author
- Naomi Alderman
- published
- 2016
- genre
- Science fiction
- nationality
- British
- award
- Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2017)
- known_for
- Premise of women developing electrical powers and becoming dominant sex
Quick Facts
- Author
- Naomi Alderman
- Illustrator
- Marsh Davies
- Country
- Great Britain
- Genre
- Science fiction
- Pub Date
- 2016
- Publisher
- Viking
- Pages
- 340 pp
- Isbn
- 978-0-670-91998-7
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Power is structured as a book within a book: a manuscript of an imagined history set 5,000 years in the past, during which womankind became the dominant gender after developing the ability to emit electricity from their hands. The manuscript is submitted by Neil Adam Armon (an anagram of Naomi Alderman) to another author named Naomi Alderman for an early read. The novel follows four main characters: Roxy, an English gangster's daughter; Tunde, a Nigerian journalist; Margot, an American politician; and Allie, a foster child who becomes the religious figure Mother Eve. The power originates from an electricity-generating organ called the 'skein,' almost exclusively found in women. The story traces global upheaval as women's empowerment leads to revolutions, the formation of a matriarchal country called Bessapara, and ultimately a global cataclysm that resets humanity.
Reader's Guide
The Power is significant as a feminist science fiction novel that won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction in 2017. Its exploration of gender dynamics through a speculative lens—where women gain physical dominance—inverts traditional power structures and examines themes of violence, religion, and societal collapse. The novel's framing device, a manuscript written by a male author and critiqued by a female author, adds a layer of commentary on authorship and gender bias. Alderman has stated there will likely be no sequel, though more stories exist beyond the book. The novel received positive critical attention, with reviewers noting its capacity to terrify and illuminate.
Did You Know?
- The fictional author Neil Adam Armon is an anagram of Naomi Alderman.
- The novel was influenced by Alderman's mentorship with Margaret Atwood through the Rolex mentorship programme.
- Alderman scrapped a 200,000-word draft at the end of 2013 and changed the concept into The Power based on about 2,000 words of the original effort.
- The power comes from an organ called the 'skein,' almost exclusively found in women.
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