Woman at Point Zero

by Nawal El Saadawi

Book Review by Susan Stradiotto

I picked up this book as a part of my worldbuilding research and as an input to my post last week: Politics, Power, and Women Protagonists. I blew through it. There is so much to say about it that I struggle with where to begin, but my very first response was a resounding WOW!

Summary

The story is one woman’s story. She is a woman condemned to death in and by a culture that (in my opinion) is very difficult for someone raised in the United States to understand or fathom. She has murdered someone and is unashamed of that fact. She tells her story passionately and with conviction and with no regrets, and the entirety of the story is an exploration of the power struggles between genders. Firdaus found her power and in turn, she was feared. This is a feminist piece, but it is also a cultural piece and a very human piece.

Some quotes I found particularly encompassing:

“That love of a ruler and love of Allah were one and indivisible.”

“Each time I picked up a newspaper and found the picture of a man who was one of them, I would spit on it. I knew I was only spitting on a piece of paper which I needed for covering the kitchen shelves. Nevertheless I spat, and then left the spit where it was to dry.”

“They do not fear my knife. It is my truth which frightens them.”

On my blog, I further analyze some cultural aspects, feminism aspects, and the worldbuilding. You can check that out here: Susan’s Review of Woman at Point Zero

When all is said and done, I gave this a 4.5 star rating, because there is one aspect that I had to school myself to believe within the story. Out of all the men she encountered, it is hard for me to fathom that there was not a single one with whom we could believe there was any goodness in the gender. That alone felt a bit unreal. In stories, I also look for a ray of hope within the darkness, something that shows the opportunity for change. So, while this is a powerful in almost every way, I have trouble with the thought that all men represent the antagonist.