Beauty & The Books

Vox - Christina Dalcher When I first saw this I instantly thought of The Hunger Games and the Voxes who have had their tongues cut out as punishment. Anyone else? This was one of my dissertation texts and it fit in with the theme of power and gender so well! So, excuse the slight academic tone to the review, because I have studied this novel inside out. "But, first the synopsis:  "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....

The Power - Naomi Alderman Genre: Dystopia Pages: 400 Format: Interchanging POVs Rating: 5/5 ----- This is one hell of a book! After seeing it in Waterstones for a while I picked it up and I am glad that I did! This novel is refreshing and has an unusual take on dystopia by envisioning a world with a matriarchy rather than a patriarchy. Synopsis: 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.  The story is set in a way that is a 7 Year countdown to the penultimate event that changes the power balance. Alderman also includes little facts and artefact to help elevate the narrative, as well as this they build the suspense and legitimise the concept a little more.  This is a totally a refreshing...