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REVIEW: The Movement by Ayisha Malik



Genre: Speculative Fiction 

Release Date: 21st July 2022

Publisher: Headline | Headline Review 

"I have suffered so long from an inclination to tell people to shut the fuck up that I've decided to take my own advice. I have decided to shut the fuck up."

Sara has had it with words. They don't mean anything, they don't do anything. So one fateful night when she is supposed to accept a prestigious book award, she explodes into silence. 

One year on, non-verbalism has taken root in wider society. People have come together in solidarity, to connect with humanity on a deeper level beyond words. Grace is risking everything for her faith in the movement and connection with her non-verbal son. Zainab has been told by men who is so often she isn't sure if her words hold any meaning now. And journalist Aadhi is trying his best to keep his voice raised and speak out against the movement, and it's originator. 

Along with Sara's old friend Roxy, Aadhi is working to create a documentary that will break Sara's silence and reveal everything she's never said. If silence can really give somebody a voice. And what would happen if that silence breaks. 

"Silence had been called many things: a subtraction; a bewitchment; an oppression; a reflection. But, in the unravelling of the self and of lives, one could not deny that it had, to so many, been a revelation."

The Movement is an intersectional feminist power house of a novel. Creating a speculative world where people seize their power using quiet weapons - silence becoming a form of solidarity for every person who doesn't have an equal voice. It becomes a way to connect, a way to reflect and truly think about how we interact without filling the silence. 

Raising dangerously sharp observations about systemic racism, sexism and the outdated justice system that plagues society. Told through captivating snapshots of past and present from multiple points of view, interspersed with press releases, documentary snippets and media creating a fully immersive world. Capturing not only the people who find piece and connection in the movement, but the side of oppressors and bigots scared of losing control in a world where people are embracing difference as well as similarity. 

The characterisation was masterful - each personal crafted perfectly to create a visceral, gut reaction from the reader. Every woman will deeply recognise the anger and fury in their souls, sick of being told they're difficult, or too emotional, or being treated as an object by the overbearing patriarchy. 

This powerfully polarising story is not only a statement on contemporary culture, but a strikingly real statement on the power of human connection.

"If people didn't have an equal voice, then silence was solidarity."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.


CW: rape, assault, police brutality, miscarriage, sexism, racism, spousal abuse. 

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