TW: religion, mass mysogony, extramarital affairs, brain surgery descriptions, shooting, Big Brother government, experimental drugs tested on animals, general crimes against humanity.
Usually I try not to read anything political or talk politics because it upsets me buuut I feel like we need to talk about Vox by Christina Dalcher. I gave this book 5 stars (see my rating scale) and finished it in a whopping 4 days. My full review can be found here. There will most definitely probably be spoilers from here on out. As usual, there will be some trash and sass, so if you don’t want to read any spoilers, scroll down the end for my closing arguments. This book is extremely upsetting for some and can bring pain and misery. Please take care of yourself first and make sure you’re in the proper headspace before reading this review, this book, or anything else that may upset you.
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Trash
The entire world that Jean and her family live in is enough to make you see red. Women have no rights, no freedom, they can’t even talk.
Jean herself is a horrible person: she’s got a loving husband who may be a bit of a pushover but, nonetheless, he loves her. She, however, doesn’t love him, at least I don’t think so. She’s actively having an affair with a work colleague and has even become pregnant by her secret lover.
Steven, Jean’s oldest son, is a bit of a poop too. He is young and impressionable, but even after he sees the damage he’s done to his baby sister by scaring her with the shock waves, he doesn’t turn away. Nothing stops him until he has his own girlfriend incarcerated for having premarital sex…with him, a crime which he faces no backlash for and the girl, Julie, is mocked and shamed publicly a la Cersei’s walk on Game of Thrones.
Sass
Wonderful writing. The science-y bits were well researched and made sense, even to myself, a layperson when it comes to neuroscience.
Though the over all concept of this book stirred feelings of anger in me, I think that was the point. It definitely makes you take a step back and see how one treats others and what the “worst case scenario” is if the wrong people end up in power. If you can vote in elections, please do. Jean never did and so she never stood against the oppressor yet she wants so be salty about the outcome that (possibly) she could have changed.
🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Overall
In conclusion, Vox was an eye-opening look at the world around us with surprising parallels.
I was deeply hurt by this book. A story Peaches, my mom, likes to tell me is how when I was younger, I didn’t speak much, if at all. Most children speak frequently and in pretty good sentences by age 2; I didn’t speak like that until I was about 4. Now, I love talking. It’s one of my favorite activities. I’ve made friends by my gift of gab and I’ve stopped many an argument too. To think that that gift, something I treasure, something my parents waited for from me, could be limited by a counter….I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream and throw things (particularly this book).
This book will most likely make you a little angry, or it did me, at least. That’s perfectly okay; ask yourself why you’re angry and keep reading. You’re going to (probably) hate Jean a bit. Again, ask yourself why and keep reading.
Friends, please make sure you’re in the right headspace before diving in to this one. It is disturbing and upsetting. Take care of yourself first before you pick this one up 🙂
Today’s question: What was a book you read out of your comfort zone that you ended up liking?
Stacia Loves To Read 