The Power

“I think I’d rather enjoy this ‘world run by men’ you’ve been talking about. Surely a kinder, more caring and—dare I say—more sexy world than the one we live in.” 

Naomi Alderman, a powerful editor five-thousand years in the future, evaluates Neil Armon’s novel. For her, a world run by men is a fanciful fantasy. Yet she indicates that the world now dominated by women is far from perfect and given to violence and brutality. Now the dominant gender, women say they would welcome Armon’s creation of a world run by men.

“A spark jumps between the metal of the screw and her hand. Static electricity. She’s feeling weird.” 

So begins The Day of the Girls. Trapped and helpless as thugs kill her mother, Roxy feels the first surge of the skein. The initial response is understandable. Roxy is unsure of the implications of her body’s sudden expression of new power, but it is a good form of weirdness. 

“Already there are parents telling their boys not to go out alone, not to stray too far. [...] Once you’ve seen that happen, no mom would let her boys out of her sight.” 

Quickly, the reality of the skein alters life. Previously, girls were cautioned against traveling alone because they were vulnerable to street attacks ranging from robbery to rape and even murder. Now girls, long harassed and living with fear, turn the tables. With the power of the skein, girls now have nothing to fear.