Powerless

Powerless is an alternate history novel of the West Coast People's Democratic Republic and its doomed struggle for greater liberty and looseness in a totally Marxist-Leninist world. The story follows Charlie Simpkins, who lives with his wife Lucille and their two children in a small apartment, navigating a repressive society filled with propaganda and inefficiency. One day, fed up with the incessant propaganda, Charlie decides not to put up a mandatory political poster in his shop window, a small act of rebellion that sets off a series of repercussions. His refusal draws the attention of the authorities, leading to his demotion to a warehouse job, where he encounters further bureaucratic nonsense and a more oppressive boss. Despite these challenges, Charlie maintains a small sense of autonomy by finding ways to make his work easier, though this only temporarily alleviates his situation. As he continues to resist in subtle ways, the Party's punitive measures extend to his family, with his children being ostracized from youth organizations due to his "unreliable" status.

The novel is inspired by the historical model of Alexander Dubcek's "socialism with a human face" in 1968 Czechoslovakia, though a few echoes of Ukraine may have crept in. It poignantly illustrates Charlie's increasing disillusionment and the toll that living under such a regime takes on him and his loved ones. In his search for like-minded individuals who share his dissatisfaction, Charlie's actions become more deliberate and dangerous, symbolizing the quiet acts of defiance that signify hope and resistance in a world where the powerful seek to crush any form of dissent.