Published: August 21, 2018
Pages: 336
Set in a United States in which 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 one hundred words per day, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial. This can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.
Soon women are not permitted to hold jobs. Girls are not taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words each day, but now women have only one hundred to make themselves heard.
For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.
This is just the beginning...not the end.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. I listened at 1.5 speed with no problems. The narration was pleasant and while the male voices didn't sound particularly masculine, they also didn't feel like caricatures of male voices.
The story pissed me off, in much the same way that Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale did. The stories have a very similar feeling, almost like they derived from a similar seminal point in American society. And much like Handmaid's Tale, this possible future doesn't feel terribly far-fetched, and that's terrifying, especially as a woman.
This story is told in first person, and it stuck me right in Jean's shoes. I felt her anger, her disbelief, her impotence. With only 100 words a day, her male children have begun to walk all over her, and dismiss her. What's she going to do? Tell their father? Frankly explaining their misdeeds could take days worth of words from her. And on the topic of her male children, the educations they're receiving are reminiscent of the Hitler Youth, starting the brainwashing early, convincing them that this is what is best for the country, and damn are they susceptible. Some of the best character development actually comes from her oldest son after he makes a big mistake, not realizing the actual consequences of his actions until it's far too late.
If you enjoyed Handmaid's Tale, you will likely enjoy this. Overall I give Vox 4.27 out of 5 stars. - Katie
Christina Dalcher is a linguist, novelist, and flash fiction writer living in the American South. She has over 100 publishing credits in the UK, US, and Australia. Recognitions include first prize in the Bath Flash Fiction Award (February 2019), second prize in the 2016 Bartleby Snopes Dialogue-Only Contest, and nominations for The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions. Her debut novel VOX was a Sunday Times Bestseller.
Her flash fiction appears in The Molotov Cocktail Prize Winners' anthology, Whiskey Paper, Split Lip Magazine, (b)OINK, Five2One Magazine, and several others.
Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency represents three of Christina's novels: VOX, Q (Master Class in the US), and FEMLANDIA. For other works, please contact Cicely Aspinall at HQ Stories/HarperCollinsUK for literary subrights.
Jasmine Lake of United Talent Agency is the contact for any film inquiries.
Christina lives with her husband and the ghosts of several dogs and cats.
To read more about her, or see samples of her work, please visit www.christinadalcher.com
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