Powerless

Reviewed by Steven H Silver

Harry Turtledove's Powerless, which began as a novelette published in the September/October 2018 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, tells the story of Charlie Simpkins, a greengrocer in a communist controlled Los Angeles. The original novelette comprises the first two chapters of the novel, in which on a whim, Simpkins elects not to hang a Party provided banner that proclaimed "Workers of the World Unite," in his store. While the novelette shares the immediate aftermath of Charlie's act of defiance, the novel allows Turtledove to more fully explore his radicalization and how someone who can appear powerless in the face of an authoritarian government can make a difference.

Charlie's life is pretty simple. He is married to Lucille and they have two young children, Nikita and Sally. Not a member of the Communist Party, he lived an existence in which he didn't make waves. He took the bus to his assigned job managing a grocery store, where he sold the produce they sent him. He attended the local block meetings to learn what was happening in his neighborhood. Most importantly, when he chose not to hang the poster, he did so without any real political agenda and couldn't explain his moment of rebellion. However, once he threw out the poster, he couldn't back down, even as he saw everything he had worked for taken away from him.

Stripped of his job in the grocery, he finds himself doing manual labor in a warehouse. Although accepted by the other laborers in the warehouse, Simpkins discovers that he has been labeled as a malcontent and is heavily scrutinized by the manager, a sign that he is constantly under the threat of surveillance. Even when he works to improve the processes of the warehouse to make it more efficient, his actions are taken as a sign that he is attempting to subvert the proper order of things and leading to more and more restrictions, impacting not only him, but also his wife and children.

Further marginalized, Simpkins is ready to grasp at any straws he can, and one eventually comes his way in the form of an article in one of the Party newspapers, which details the rise of Alex Eichenlode, a Party member in Washington state who is not only fast rising, but actually seems to have the interest of the people at heart. Simpkins writes to Eichenlode, asking him to intervene in his case. This decision has repercussions in his life as Eichenlode's role in the Party changes, and Simpkins discovers that the act of writing the letter to him would tie Simpkins to Eichenlode's fate, for good or bad.

Turtledove's decision to follow the rise and fall of different elements of the Communist Party on North America's west coast gives multiple meanings to the novel's title. As an individual who is not a part of the Community Party, Simpkins is powerless to control his own fate beyond some apparently meaningless acts of rebellion, which can only harm him. Even minor officials, like Mary Ann Hannegan, his bock chairman, had more control over what happened to him than he did. At the same time, his connection to Eichenlode meant that if Eichenlode fell in favor, Simpkins would be powerless to prevent the a similar fall in his own fortunes.

The world of Powerless is bleak. There is plenty of power to be held, but not directly by the people who it impacts. Even the most seemingly powerful people are controlled by forces greater than they are. Trust is a rare commodity with Simpkins constantly looking around to see if people he thought were his friends are informing on him in order to improve their own lot in life. Similarly, if Simpkins finds himself having a run of luck, those around him begin to view him with suspicion. Who has he betrayed in order to get better treatment.

Unfortunately for Simpkins, the world he lives in celebrates the powerlessness of the people who live in it. While his fortunes, and those of his family, may rise and fall through events over which they have little control, things can always get worse for them and their ultimate fate may be to find a life where the powers that be have removed any perceived threat Simpkins may offer by stripping him of what little power he may have and placing him in a position where his actions can not matter. Success and triumph are not a goal for he cogs in the world of Powerless where anonymity may be the ultimate achievement.

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