Vox is a near future dystopian novel that disturbed me in a way that many have not. There is also a quote from Elle “A petrifying re-imagining of The Handmaid’s Tale” and that is one that I can’t comment on because I haven’t read (or watched) The Handmaid’s Tale. The front cover of my copy has a quote from Prima “This book will blow your mind” and I completely agree.

This was one of the most disturbing books that I have read in a while. I finished reading late last night and it has still been rolling around in my head. However, there was quite a lot of science lingo which some went over my head so there were parts that I had to read more than once or slowly to make sense of them.I have been totally immersed in Vox for the last couple of days and it’s a book that has stayed with me long after the book has been put down. The author is brave to tackle this subject. I didn’t have an issue with the religious aspect of the book and that Christians were to blame for the government acting the way it had as I’m not religious, though I can see how some might get their backs up at the idea. I loved the family dynamics and the power play. Especially how she felt for her young daughter, she knew her husband felt guilty at what they were having to go through and also that her eldest son didn’t seem to have an issue with the measure, in fact, he agreed with the government and she had to be careful around him, not letting him see any breaking of the rules. The characters, especially Jean McClellan were inspiring to read about. The writing flowed naturally and with short chapters, it felt quite urgent and exciting too. I love a good dystopian novel and this one had me raging, not only at the insinuation that women needed all these measures in places to be loyal to their husbands and god, but to think that a government even thought of silencing half of the population, who did they think they were? I’m sure if this was to be announced in real-life there would be so much backlash that it would never get through, but that is the greatness of books in that the author can make anything she wants to come alive in her novel. To monitor their words they have to wear bracelets that keep track of how many words they have said, go over the 100 words and a painful electric shock is the response.

The changes came one at a time, beginning with females not allowed passports, then their jobs were taken, as well as their books and phones. Vox is a dystopian novel set in the USA where the female population has been silenced to just 100 words a day.

Vox a novel