Author: Christina Dalcher
Genre: Dystopian, Medical Thriller, SF
Series: N/A
Hardcover, 336 Pages
Publication: August 21, 2018 by Berkley
Source: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
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Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.
On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial--this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.
This is just the beginning.
Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.
But this is not the end.
For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.
Aphasia is without a doubt a terrifying and heartbreaking communication disorder. I’d know because my father had a stroke four years ago and I remember that first month when he had a combination of Aphasia and temporary Amnesia (blood vessel ruptured in the brain). He didn’t remember anything let alone his children’s names and when the PT/Doctors tried to get him to read certain words, all you could hear were grunts and moans. It was one of the worst moments of my life.
When I was first pitched Vox, I honestly didn’t read/look too much into the synopsis. All I remembered was the tag-line: What would you do if you were limited to only 100 words a day? The tag-line immediately caught my attention and I wanted to know more. I’m always up for a good Dystopian. But Vox isn’t just a regular Dystopian about the oppression of women. It’s a cautionary tale about how life as we know it can change before we even realize it, slowly creeping in until it’s too late and everyone becomes enslaved by their own ignorance and obliviousness; and taking certain things for granted and in Vox that’s our speech, language, ability to communicate…our voice. I loved that Dalcher incorporated the real disorder of Aphasia and made it the foundation of her story. I don’t think it’s a well known disorder and glad it’s being highlighted. I mean, I never knew about it until my dad was diagnosis with it. So with that said, with Aphasia as the foundation of the novel, I can relate there but Dalcher also brings up a lot of other issues which I think women can relate to in some way or another.
Many reviewers said Vox was just a Dystopian, a mere Science Fiction novel that’s pretty far-fetched. I disagree. Some of the political, gender, cultural, religious, and racial climates found in Vox can be seen to some extent in our current reality. And everything that was portrayed/happened to the women in Vox can actually happen. Many reviewers stated that: No it would never get that bad. Never come to that. It’s not realistic…or something similar along those lines. Funny because that’s exactly what Jean thought too. Everything that Jean and the other women were subjected to was undeniably scary, abhorrent, immoral, unethical...and totally plausible! This is the type of Dystopian I don’t normally want to read about, are too hard to read and at the same should be read. Because it's so realistic. Possible.
I thought the concept was brilliant and unlike many others that read Vox; I enjoyed the medical terminology, science aspect of the novel. It was fascinating. Dalcher’s writing flowed perfectly and the combination of the short chapters and fast-paced story made for an engaging read. I read it all in one sitting! The only downside to Vox was the character development, or the lack of it. The only character that was somewhat developed was Jean, an exception because she was the main character and it’s a first person narrative. Lorenzo, Lin, Patrick, Morgan and the secondary characters weren’t fully realized in my opinion thus making it hard to connect to anyone. I also wasn't a big fan of Jean herself. She's strong and a fighter but she's also a cheater. That's not a quality I like in any character/person. And yes, characters among world building is extremely important in any book I read. However, I still give Dalcher much props for writing this book and having whatever little character development she had because she wrote this book in two month. Yes, two months you guys! That’s pretty awesome and amazing.
I won’t lie, it was very hard reading Vox. There were so many time when I stopped reading during a passage because I was shocked, angry and left speechless. They did not just do that. They/He did not just say that. That did not just happened. Those were some my thoughts as I read. Let’s just say Dalcher isn’t afraid of writing the hard stuff and went where most wouldn’t. While Vox is a frightening and plausible possibility at what could be, and as much as it made me angry and had me questioning a lot of things (I don’t want my personal beliefs to interfere, so I won’t go into details)…but I think that’s part of the reason why it’s so important that everyone reads this. Men and Women. Because this book will certainly make you think, a lot. All I can say is read it, you won’t regret it!
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