By Christina Dalcher
Set in the not too distant future, there's a new government in power in the USA. Women are forced into subservience — no longer able to travel freely or access the internet; employment is forbidden and education for girls severely restricted. Every female is fitted with a bracelet that gives a painful electric shock if the daily allowance of one hundred spoken words is exceeded
Former scientist Dr Jean McClellan, a leading specialist in cognitive linguistics, finds herself back in the workplace at the request of the President, whose brother has suffered significant brain trauma in a skiing accident. Tasked with finding a cure, Jean soon comes to realise everything is not as it seems.
Vox has a controversial theme that some readers will, quite understandably, find repugnant. Society has regressed to a point where the female role is now focused solely on the home and raising children. Any career aspirations are futile. Although I found it a difficult read due to its portrayal of gender roles, I kept reminding myself it's fiction. But a little niggle at the back of my mind had me thinking it could actually happen. It's disturbing and makes me grateful for emancipation and the freedoms we currently enjoy. Whilst I wasn't totally captivated, it was an entertaining read.
Former scientist Dr Jean McClellan, a leading specialist in cognitive linguistics, finds herself back in the workplace at the request of the President, whose brother has suffered significant brain trauma in a skiing accident. Tasked with finding a cure, Jean soon comes to realise everything is not as it seems.
Vox has a controversial theme that some readers will, quite understandably, find repugnant. Society has regressed to a point where the female role is now focused solely on the home and raising children. Any career aspirations are futile. Although I found it a difficult read due to its portrayal of gender roles, I kept reminding myself it's fiction. But a little niggle at the back of my mind had me thinking it could actually happen. It's disturbing and makes me grateful for emancipation and the freedoms we currently enjoy. Whilst I wasn't totally captivated, it was an entertaining read.
★★★☆☆
- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: HQ
- Publication Year: 2018
- Author: Christina Dalcher
- Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction
Synopsis
Now the new government is in power, everything has changed. But only if you’re a woman.
Almost overnight, bank accounts are frozen, passports are taken away and seventy million women lose their jobs. Even more terrifyingly, young girls are no longer taught to read or write.
For herself, her daughter, and for every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice. This is only the beginning…
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