Hello on this wonderful Thursday. I hope that you are all well! Today I am bringing you my review of VOX.
Vox 
Author: Christina Dalcher
Published: August 21st, 2018
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Fiction, Dystopian
Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥
Buy the book: Amazon, Barnes & Noble Book Depository (Use my referral ID: TheBibliophagist)
Disclaimer: I won a free copy of this novel Via Goodreads. Thank you to Christina Dalcher and Berkley for giving me the opportunity to read this.
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.
The cover of this novel is simple but gets the point across. The woman has a red X over her mouth, showing that she is unable to speak. I really enjoy the contrast of red and white. I will admit, I giggled when I looked at this. It reminded me of the monkey with its hands covering its mouth. However, this novel’s material is no laughing matter.
I have mixed feelings about this tale. When I learned of this book I knew that I had to read it. Women are limited to only 100 words a day?!?! I learned that the average person speaks 16,000 words a day. I cannot imagine how stressful it must be to limit yourself that much. How do you choose what to say? I know that I would tell my boys I loved them at least twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. Well, I know what you are thinking now…I could just write things down or sign or even act out what I am trying to say…wrong! Not only are women limited vocally, cameras watch their movements and they are forbidden to act out things as well. They are kept away from pens and paper. Meant to be obedient housewives. Women are not even allowed to hold jobs. I am not sure about you but this is not a world I would like to live in!
So, I have a lot to say but I think I will start with the good. We all like the good news first right? The characters in this story were well thought out. I really like that this is told from first person POV. We really get to understand how these restrictions impact Jean. I enjoyed seeing her inner thoughts. For example, when she was sleeping with her husband and she thought this:
“I wriggle out from under the heavy appendage encircling me. It’s too much like ownership, that gesture; too possessive.”
Here we really see how what seems like such a small gesture has such a negative impact on her. If it was me, I wouldn’t even want to sleep in the same bed. I would prefer my own room so that I may sleep with my memories of better times alone. I would resent him for having no limitations on what he can say or do. Jean is such a strong woman. It is nice to see that despite the troubles she faces, she never gives up. With every new challenge, she keeps fighting.
The world building is nicely done. It brings the reader right into a distant futuristic setting. There are no flying cars, but there have been drastic changes. All caused by religion. Yes, I said it…the R word. I will get back to that in a minute. I first want to briefly mention the plot. I was not sure that I would be drawn into this novel, yet I was. When I think things are getting better, BOOM! Something else is thrown at me. I had to keep reading. I needed to find out what happened in the end!
Alright, now onto the negatives I found within this novel. This is one of those stories that reminds me why I like dystopian books. The premise was wonderful and presented in the right political climate. I will not venture into that because I keep politics away from my pride and joy…books and bookish things. This type of book reminds us of possibilities of what could happen in a futuristic world if we are not careful of our choices today.
Religion…there it is, we are back to this now. Religion was allowed to grow and spread, which is all fine and dandy. The only problem here is one specific religion is singled out…Christianity. Now, I am not a Christian nor will I ever become one. However, I do not feel it is right to put people of that religion on the spot as this story does. I know this is a fictional tale, but it brings up so much possible hostility toward Christians. I have met my fair share of pushy Christians who try to force their beliefs upon me…but never have I seen one who believes any of these extremes. This aspect would have been better if it were blamed on some religious extremists or a cult, not everyone within that religious group.
Although I really loved Jean, I failed to connect with any of the other characters. This was most likely due to first person POV being used. We never get to see the reactions of other characters as events take place. As I mentioned above, I liked the plot. There was just something lacking. The pace felt a little slow at times. I was looking for so much more to occur. This story was very thought-provoking as well. Good right? Nope… It reminded me of growing up and initially being told to do what I want in life and marry for love. Then as I grew, my father changed his wishes. He told me I should marry a rich man so that I can stay at home with the kids where a woman belonged. I was raised to be a housewife. Now, there is nothing wrong with being a housewife, that is what I currently am and I love it. I love being home with the kids, cleaning, cooking, and doing crafts. What I despise is being told a woman is meant to be home simply because that is what we’ve been told throughout history. Women are powerful and just as capable as men at doing anything we set out minds to. But I digress, I am now getting into how I feel about the subject matter rather than the novel itself.
Another issue I found with his novel was that problems felt as if they were solved too easily. I was expecting more conflict and struggle. The answers seemed to be almost unrealistic. The story itself seemed a little unreal at times. The word limit was only implemented about a year prior to where the story begins. Out of nowhere, she all of a sudden has a bunch of allies. I suppose it could work, but it was all way to easy.
There are a lot of technical and medical terms and procedures used in this book. It did not bother me or take away from the story, but I have a biology degree…not everyone can move past the vast amount of technical and medical jargon.
Overall, this was a good book. It might not be a five star, must read one, but it is enjoyable all the same. It has the possibility to trigger past experiences women have had…being looked down on or treated differently for being a woman. It may bring up hostile feelings. What is important to remember is that this is a work of fiction. It may have controversial ideas within, but it is not real. It is not the first book or entertainment outlet to venture into something like this and it will not be the last. If you can put that aside, this thought-provoking novel is a good read.
What would you say with your 100 words? Have you read any other work by this author? Would you read this novel? Buy it or borrow it? What have you been reading lately?
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Even as a man this does not sound like a world I would want to live in. I love hear the sound of your voice and having conversations with you. 100 words a day would not be enough. There are people both mean and women that I would prefer not to talk though lol. I can’t envision a world were half our population is followed around with a camera forcing them to act a certain way.
This does not sound like a book I would enjoy reading but I would want to sit down and hear about it. How does it end?
I can’t tell till you on here… no spoilers