After Dark by Jayne Cowie (spoilers in review)

WELCOME TO A WORLD WHERE WOMEN HOLD THE POWER.

They dominate workplaces, public spaces and government.

They are no longer afraid to cross a dark car park, catch the last train, or walk home alone.

With the Curfew law in place, all men are electronically tagged and must stay at home after 7pm.

It changed things for the better. Until now.

A woman is murdered late at night and evidence suggests she knew her attacker.

It couldn't have been a man because a Curfew tag is a solid alibi... Isn't it?

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So, in the world of this book, women somehow got a law through a male-dominated Parliament to force all men to wear electronic tags. Men must be in their registered address by seven at night and stay there until seven the next morning. Since this limits the work they're able to do, women have drifted into power - apparently, we're never shown that. This is very specifically a UK only phenomenon; we're told about one character's parents who live in France and never visit because her father doesn't want to pay for a temporary tag.

We're told that this one simple change has put women in power over men, by ensuring that they can go out at night, walk home alone and so on. And I can see how that would be true. Certainly a lot of violence against women happens at night, in dark places. However, a lot of violence against women doesn't happen at night in dark places. How does the Curfew stop domestic violence? How does it give women any power at all? It means there are no false alibis, I suppose, but that's not helpful to the woman who's been attacked in a car park, or who's been beaten to death in her own home.

Apart from that; all the men here are horrible. The only one I feel at all bad for is Billy; we're told once that his Male Temper came out, but that's after literal weeks of Cass torturing him, and there's still no implication that he hit her or touched her at all. I think some shouting is the least she deserved. Everyone is is a violent, bullying, abusive mess of a man. I know that there are men like that out there, but there are also some men who are perfectly normal and nice. Where are they in this novel?

All in all, I liked the idea of this novel, but I think the execution leaves something to be desired.

This book publishes as After Dark on the 12 of May, 2022 in the UK, and as Curfew on the 22 of May, 2022 in the US. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.