Customer Reviews

A Question of Power

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I was recommended this book and told "it's about a woman's descent into madness. But A Question of Power is much more than that. It presents the life of a woman of mixed heritage in South Africa and Botswana. The reader is allowed into her mind and taken to a place where one may question one's own sanity, in imitative form. Her relationships--and the novel at large--invite a probing of our understanding of reality. Where is the line between the seen and the unseen, and what is their relation to what we call reality? The language is clear, precise. It should be no deterrent to say that this book is political, for how can one examine power or even view this world nonpolitically? All political really means is that it's a true work of art. This book envelops you, it does not overpower. Bessie Head writes with intelligence and grace.

In A Question of Power, Bessie Head makes a deep exploration into the life of a woman in her world which is governed by every day efforts of the characters to exercise control or have an edge over those they are dealing with. Brilliantly written, this fast moving and deep novel is a recommended book for someone interested in women in this politically liberal part of Africa.I see echoes of other African stories like The Oaf, The Usurper and Others.This is an intuitively observed story with a fascinating plot and great narrative and dialogue.