3 Dystopias You NEED to experience!

As you can probably tell this review is about 3 novels from the dystopian genre that will greatly impact your life. You guys may not know this (unless you follow my instagram) but I am currently in the process of writing and researching my final year dissertation.
AKA my stress levels have never been this high before.
My topic for this dissertation is the concept of power in association with gender and how that is represented in the dystopia.

So that leads me to these 3 amazing novels!

• The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood (a classic of this genre, and would be an insult to literature if I did not include this)
• The Power, by Naomi Alderman 
• Vox, by Christina Dalcher (the little newbie of the bunch)

Before I get into each review I'll give you a little synopsis courtesy of Book Depositary.

The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood

"Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She has only one function: to breed. If she deviates, she will, like dissenters, be hanged at the wall or sent out to die slowly of radiation sickness. But even a repressive state cannot obliterate desire - neither Offred's nor that of the two men on which her future hangs."

If you are into this genre or just love literature in general, than you know that this is one of the key novels in this field! (unless you live under a rock...) This novel is from the POV of Offred, a woman who has been enslaved to be a Handmaid, and her navigation through the new regime of Gilead. The novel switches the narrative perspective from the present day to the past as a way for Offred to hold on to her identity, through the life she used to have. In all honesty I found Offred a little boring and uninteresting for someone who is mean to to be rebelling against the ideas of the society she is in. She just seems to passive for me and too willing to follow others. But despite that, I love the overall context and structure of the novel. I found that the characters are so multi-dimensional that it is difficult to simply hate or love them. As with most dystopias, Atwood's is something that could happen, and this realist element adds to the eerieness of the novel.
Overall GREAT book! It is a must read for everyone. This really opens your eyes to how you experience society and how actively you take a role in your surroundings. Buuutttt, I was immensely disappointed in the ending, and I'll just leave it at that.

Buy Here: https://www.bookdepository.com/Handmaids-Tale-Margaret-Atwood/9781784874872?ref=grid-view&qid=1541853202459&sr=1-4beautyandthebooks

The Power, by Naomi 

"What if the power to hurt were in women's hands? Suddenly - tomorrow or the day after - teenage girls find that with a flick of their fingers, they can inflict agonizing pain and even death. With this single twist, the four lives at the heart of Naomi Alderman's extraordinary, visceral novel are utterly transformed."

This is a powerful (no pun intended) novel that every young woman should be exposed to! This novel follows the course of 4 individuals around the globe as society changes before their eyes. Suddenly women across the globe have the power of electricity in their veins, this new power is something that massively shifts the balance of power in society. I love how Alderman chose to introduce the perspectives of 4 different people as it gives a wide breadth of understanding and experience of this world. Each story follows the highs and lows of this new power and how it can greatly impact and individual. I love the introduction of 'artefacts' within the novel, it legitimises the concept and portrays it as something natural and has just simply been awoken. I do have to say that sometimes the chapters felt longer than they were and the story took its time getting to the end. But that is because it is so full of content that there is so much to take in.

Overall, this is another great read to open your eyes to a parallel universe of the matriarchy.
Buy Here: https://www.bookdepository.com/Power-Naomi-Alderman/9780670919963?ref=grid-view&qid=1541879896297&sr=1-1beautyandthebooks

Vox, by Christina Dalcher 

"Silence can be deafening.

Jean McClellan spends her time in almost complete silence, limited to just one hundred words a day. Any more, and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins.

Now the new government is in power, everything has changed. But only if you're a woman.

Almost overnight, bank accounts are frozen, passports are taken away and seventy million women lose their jobs. Even more terrifyingly, young girls are no longer taught to read or write.

For herself, her daughter, and for every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice. This is only the beginning..."

This is the newest one of the bunch but that does not mean that its not as great! This combines the themes of political suppression and female liberation together in a magical way to get you really thinking. The concept of only having 100 words a day is something that I have never seen before, and it reminds me of the Voxes in The Hunger Games; people who just live to serve after their tongues were removed. Similar to the government wanting to make women seen and not heard, a way back to 'traditional values'. This novel is written brilliantly and I found that I was actively engaging with the characters like I have not for a long time. 

Overall, I loved this concept. I just thought it was so unique yet somewhat realistic.

Buy Here: https://www.bookdepository.com/Vox-Christina-Dalcher/9780008300630?ref=grid-view&qid=1541884142869&sr=1-1beautyandthebooks


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