Vox

This missed the point for me. I wanted a mind challenging and maybe a slight realistic dystopian and this is wasn't what I got. It had some interesting parts to it but I don't think it was executed for my liking.

Imagine going to sleep tonight and the next day waking up to discover that all girls and women in the United States have been outfitted with a government issued counter and are allowed to speak 100 words a day.

In addition to the government issued decree, women are no longer permitted to hold jobs, travel, girls are not taught to read or write in schools, are unable access to watching certain television channels, have access to computers or telephones or even check the mail. Unfortunately, this is the world that neurolinguist Dr. Jean McClellan lives in for the past year along with her scientist husband Patrick and her four kids seventeen year old Steven, elven year old twins and six year old Sonia.

As the novel starts, Jean reflects on likelihood of her of bringing down the president of the United States, the ultra religious right Pure Movement and her former supervisor Morgan LeBron within a week’s time. Jean then reflects back on her college friend and roommate Jackie Juarez and Jackie’s warnings that the country was soon going to take rights away from women. Unfortunately, Jean didn’t take Jackie’s warning seriously since she was focused on school coursework and didn’t notice the expansion of the ultra conservative religious group “The Pure Movement” until it’s too late.

Through “The Pure Movement” lead by Reverend Carl Corbin, controls the president. When the president’s brother is critically injured in a skiing accident, Jean is called upon to save his life. Jean agreed on the condition that her and Sonia’s counters are removed and that Jean is allowed to teach Sonia at home. Sonia’s initially furious at her mother since the school’s are now offering girls prizes for who talks the least during the school day.

Jean has romantic relationship with her colleague Lorenzo as well as parents in Italy. By the end of the novel, Jean becomes a strong woman capable of doing whatever is needed to ensure that her daughter will not grow up in a world where she is voiceless and exists only to used by men.

This book was entertaining yet alarming in the probability of something of this magnitude happening as well as uplifting in that despite being oppressed, there are those willing to stand up and fight against the oppression and injustice.

This story is terrifying, but not in a "scary movie" sort of way. When Trump became president a lot of people thought we were on our way to something similar to this story. I don't doubt that there is still a threat, and not only to women, but to POC as well.

I love the way this concept slips its way into society so easily; because not enough people spoke up. The silencing of women in Vox is like the election of Donald Trump. Literally no one thought it could happen. When I think back to the morning after Election Day, when I heard the news on the radio (I was so sure of Clinton I didn't stay up to watch the results) I completely dissociated. I couldn't be in my body in a world where he was our president. Somehow, we didn't fight hard enough. We took our rights and our societal advances for granted.

The same thing happens in this book. THIS COULD NEVER HAPPEN...until it does. Hitler could never happen....until he did, and the world was rocked. We must remain vigilant. We must challenge our own assumptions, be aware of what we're letting slip by, what other people are saying and if it's okay.

A lot of little things add up, and before you know it there's a mountain.

Unofficial 2.5 star rating because I don't think reading half then skimming the rest is enough to give it a fair rating.

Reading Dalcher's Q & A makes me more forgiving of her novel. The main ideas she wanted to get across were "(1) How easily can our world change while we’re not paying attention And (2) How crucial to our being is the gift of language, that amazingly complex capacity we so often take for granted". I think she succeeded in trying to portray her ideas, even if it was rough around the edges. The relationship between Jean and Sonia was heart wrenching. Julie's witch hunt trials were also terribly sad to read, but easy to imagine.

It also helps when you think that the main idea is how its a "tale about oppression, about the horrors that can occur when a faction—any faction—with a specific agenda becomes so powerful that it’s unstoppable". The whole Christians are terrible was very overt and tropey, but I know it was the easiest one to pick to convey the message she wanted since the frame work is already there.

In the second half there was a brief redemption moment for everyone and that was enough since I didn't have to read all the build up to it.

Overall, the novel was flat and boring, but it does make a good think piece. I think if we were only introduced to her flash fiction, it would probably pack more of a punch.

Plot driven, not beautifully written or thoughtful. Singing to the choir.