Vox by Christina DalcherPublished by: HQ
Released: 23rd August 2018
Page Count: 384 Pages
Edition: Paperback ARC
Thank you to HQ for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Neurolinguist Dr Jean McClellan, has become a woman of few words. One hundred words per day to be exact; any more and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins. She is not alone. Now that the new government is in power, no woman is able to speak over this limit without punishment.
Books are forbidden, bank accounts transferred to the closest male relative and all female employment suspended, while young girls are no longer taught to read and write. But when the President’s brother suffers a stroke, Jean is temporarily given back her voice in order to work on the cure. But things are not as they seem and Jean soon discovers that she is part of a much larger plan, to silence voices around the world for good.
Thoughts
Vox is a book that I have been hearing so much hype about and as someone who likes to identify as a feminist I was automatically intrigued by it’s premise. Having been lucky enough to receive an early copy from the publishers, I went straight into it not knowing entirely what to expect.
Dr Jane McClellan, a neurolinguist has become a women of little words. She is not allowed to speak over one hundred words a day, any more and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her. Jane is not alone. Now that the new US government is in power no woman or girl is able to speak over this word limit without punishment. However, when the presidents brother suffers a stoke, Jean is given back her voice temporarily to help work on a cure. Things are not straight forward though and Jean soon discovers she is part of a plan that will silence voices around the world permanently.
Wow! Vox was such an intense, thought provoking, thrilling read that had me hooked from the very beginning. I was instantly put into this dystopian world that if I was in, I wouldn’t know how to cope. It takes you on a huge journey of women trying to make a difference and change their fate and this was such a compelling message for women readers everywhere. What would you to do be free and change your future path?
There were a few uncomfortable scenes within Vox but I felt like that was how the author wanted you to feel? Women being unable to say no to their husbands because they’d reached their word limit was a particular one that struck me. Another one was how women couldn’t work, open their own post, read books or have their own bank account. I can’t imagine how I would feel if this happened in real life and the way this was described within the story was somewhat terrifying. It certainly gave me the shivers. I also got emotional knowing that young girls couldn’t cry or scream out when scared due to their word limit being reached. Very powerful stuff.
A lot of themes were brought up in Vox including sexism, religion and feminism. All dealt with perfectly. The religious themes angered me the most as it was as if all the women had to revert to gods way and nothing else. A few scenes within this theme did cause me to be on edge and get tearful towards the women.
Dr Jean is a protagonist who was strong willed and determined to fight for what she believed in. She’s a fierce friend and a caring mother – the way she fought for the rights of her daughter, Sonia was admirable. However, she wasn’t a perfect character but that’s okay. She made mistakes and she had regrets but don’t we all? This made her more of a believable character in my opinion.
If I was going to say anything slightly negative, I would say that the ending seemed a little bit rushed to me. I would have loved the story to have played out more. Also, there were a few questions left unanswered that I would have loved to have known the outcome to. Don’t leave us hanging.
Vox was to sum up a fierce, powerful, feminist read that will leave your mind wanting more and one that will stick with me for a long while. An outstanding debut I can assure you.
Amy's Bookish Life 