Vox
by Christina Dalcher
3 stars
This book had been getting some buzz as the “next Handmaid’s Tale.” I liked The Handmaid’s Tale so I was excited to read this book. Vox is a dystopian novel set in a future America where half of the population has been silenced. The book centers on Dr. Jean McClellan, a wife and mother, and also a linguistic scientist. The signs were all there. Jean saw that things were changing—women were losing representation in government and losing their jobs. The Pure movement was moving forward—women were to serve their families and husbands; to be seen and not heard. Jean thought “surely not in America.” Then her worst nightmare come true. Women and girls now have to wear a metal bracelet on their wrists. The bracelet functions as a counter that keeps track of how many words they are permitted to say each day—only 100 words are allowed. If they go over 100, serious consequences occur. To put this into perspective, the average woman speaks around 20,000 words per day. Jean is approached by the government who needs her specific skill set. The president’s brother has suffered a brain injury that impacts his ability to speak correctly. Jean is able to make a deal with the government and sets off with two of her former colleagues to make a serum. Will they help the government or find a way to put a stop to this evil?
This book started out well for me. The first half was excellent and I couldn’t put it down. The second half of the book moved into a more techno thriller genre. I didn’t really understand all the language and it moved very quickly. Everything was wrapped up at the end of the book, but I was still a bit confused. Some plot points that I was interested in really didn’t get resolved. The last third of the book made my rating drop by 1-2 stars. The premise had a lot of promise; I just didn’t enjoy the turn that the book made
Read-alikes
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Jennie Melamed by Jennie Melamed
