This dystopia is scary, devastating and feels all too possible. The thought of only being allowed to use 100 words of language as a woman with the penalty of being shocked by an arm bracelet if you go over your quota is horrific and provoked feelings of outrage and anger. The story demonstrates the lengths a mother (and in fact a father) will go to to protect their children. The way those in same sex relationships or indeed any female who has sex before marriage, or speaks up too much or who isn't obeying the rules imposed by US leaders, are treated is disgusting and nausea inducing. I was definitely gripped by this story and it will stay with me for a long while, I had a severe book hangover with this one.

I have read some really wonderful books this year but 'Vox' has topped them all.
It's not too hard to envisage a world where America has a president who is seen a joke by the rest of the world,yet manages to systematically take away the rights of the female population.
It starts slowly with the focus on the main character,Jean, a well regarded scientist who was advancing disoveries into cures for a particular strain of dementia. Since the 'Pure' movement,however,women have been stripped of their jobs,their roles and their words.
Women ,and gay people have been held accountable for the ills of society and in a attempt to return it to a time when women knew their place and being gay was considered an abomination,the president has eroded their rights and gained the backing of American men and female handmaidens .
Inevitable comparison with the 'Handmaid's Tale' aside,it is sadly all too plausible to buy into the future reality that Christina Dalcher depicts. Gay people are forced into work camps and to share cells with the opposite sex until they 'see sense'.
Women and girls are made to wear wristbands that count off every word they speak and after 100 words are gone,they cannot speak until sun rise on the next day.
If they do,the punishment is instant and brutal.
So there is no more reading,writing,buying of envelopes,opening the postbox,magazines,nothing that encourages a woman to think freely.
Girls are seperated from.boys as there is no need to educate them beyond preparing them for wifely duties and motherhood. They cannot leave the country as their passports are invalid. Women and girls are nothing more than commodities to be done with as men wish.
Until the President's brother has a terrible skiing accident that results in the particular dysphasia that she had been experimenting on.
Suddenly the chance to raise a voice is in Jean's power.
This is a prescient and timely book that is sadly all too believable.
Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

I enjoyed this - it kept me up reading late into the night. I was surprised that the finale seemed to take place 'off stage', as I would have liked to see those events happen directly, rather than have another character relay them. Still, really interesting, and I'll look out for more from Christina Dalcher.

This book was a complete emotional rollercoaster for me and sometimes a bit hard to read in places. I thought that the dystopian world was well crafted and terrifyingly believable! Dalcher's description of how America came to become a society where women can only speak 100 words a day is very believable and works almost as a warning about political apathy.

If you enjoy dystopian fiction then this is definitely the book for you!

I was interested in the idea behind this novel and curious to read about an America where women are prevented from speaking more than one hundred words per day. The author wrote convincingly about a world in which women have become repressed not only in society but within their own families. Even Jean's husband and male children have developed a lack of respect for women and girls.

Vox was an uncomfortable read in places, and showed how quickly a group in society might be persecuted.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this novel.

Wow. I absolutely devoured this book. Word by word, it dripped into my mind, filling me with anger, terror. Just like The Handmaid's Tale, like Black Mirror, Vox is a carefully crafted, terrifying dystopian set just half a second in the future. Built around real events - politicians restricting abortion, the extreme right spreading pure religious fury - with an added touch of fear, Vox is an important, horrifying tale so very applicable to today's world.

This book had a very chilling premise which appealed to me as a lover of dystopian fiction generally and Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale', to which it has been compared, in particular. Focusing on a world where women have been stripped of their rights by a fundamentalist Christian take-over of government, Dalcher describes life for women who can no longer read and write, no longer work, whose money now belongs to their husbands (or nearest male relative if single) and who are limited to 100 words a day, enforced by bracelets which are programmed to recognise the voice of the wearer and deliver an electric shock for each infraction.

I found the book quite gripping and finished it in one sitting but I came away feeling that it had failed to deliver its true promise. Main character Jean was a somewhat unsympathetic character and I didn't really take to her. I wanted her to succeed more because of the implications for wider society if she didn't than for any good will towards her personally. There was also an over-abundance of medical terminology which detached me from the plot somewhat. Whilst I recognise that an element of this was necessary to the storyline, I felt it could have been handled better (see 'The Martian' for an example of a book that includes enough science to be believable but without turning off readers who didn't study science past high school).

Ultimately, the book doesn't live up to the comparisons which have been made to the work of authors such as Atwood, and perhaps I would have felt more generously toward it had I not had such high expectations going in, but it is still worth a look if dystopian fiction is your thing. I certainly feel the portrayal of how easily an extreme administration can take over so comprehensively is realistic and the paraphrased words of Edmund Burke regarding evil triumphing when good men do nothing serves as a warning regarding the current political climate in a number of countries around the world.

I don't think I was quite as into this one as some of my peers, but it was a clever, thought provoking speculative tale set in a world where women are only allowed 100 words per day and are in other ways suppressed. The writing was beautiful and allowed for the exploration of some currently relevant themes.

My very subjective personal issue was the way the premise sat - if it had been purely speculative, a world where this just "was" I would probably have related to it a little more, or if it was clearly set in a place where, as we know is true, women are still under the rule of men. As it is, this state of affairs comes to pass quietly and quickly during a change in political views and an upsurge of religious doctrine in the modern world. I just couldn't get my head around that working - I suppose it's possible but I think of all the women I know who would literally blow the world up rather than submit, plus all the men who would do the same - we have moved on. Is it possible? Yes. But yeah all I had throughout the read was a vision of warrior women in helicopters blowing up the White house then saying "enough of your shite already" before going back to reading their books (which they can't have in this world Christina Dalcher has created)

That aside though, this novel is an intelligent one, that will surely garner much discussion. Plus I really enjoyed it and in the end that's the main thing.

Recommended.

With an intriguing premise and clever writing I found this to be an incredibly engaging and addictive read.

Despite being bombarded with promotion for this book all over social media it was only when I read the premise that I decided it was one I had to read. I was suspicious of all of the comparisons to the Handmaids Tale (I'm suspicious of all comparisons though) but there are actually a lot of similarities in the world the author creates. Due to a change in political power and the influence of religion, America is seeking a return to "traditional values" and family roles. The men are educated, given jobs, bring home money and make all of the decisions and the women are there to support them by keeping house.

Where it diverges however, and what fascinated me, is that this is enforced by limiting women's access to words and language. Every woman/girl is given an allocation of 100 words a day and is fitted with a counter to ensure they stick to it. They are not permitted to read or write, have no access to computers, mobile phones or tablets and there are cameras set up to ensure they don't communicate by any other means. It's extreme but it really intrigued me. How would a loss of language affect your life, how would it affect your relationships and the dynamics within a family?

Through a number of situations and little nuggets of detail the author does an incredible job of portraying this world in a way which feels very real and easy to imagine. It's clear that a lot of thought has gone into it in the way that the author answers almost all of the questions I had about what kind of impact this would have on the day to day life of different types of people. There are maybe a few too many coincidences and it lacks a little subtlety at times (it's downright blunt on occasion) but it gets the message across.

I liked that the main character Jean (Gianna) was a former professor of neurolinguistics and the opportunities this gave for bringing a lot of the science into the story to give it a bit more depth and direction. Jean herself is a complicated character and I thought it was interesting how flawed the author made her. There was a lot I could relate to and empathise with but there were aspects of her behavior I just didn't like or agree with. I also thought it was good the way the author brought in different and very diverse characters to illustrate the impact this society was having on them.

For a debut this is a pretty impressive book. I did have some minor quibbles with some of the writing, I found the alternate scenarios irritating and there were a couple of jumps which confused me but otherwise it was very readable. The pacing was pretty much spot on and I loved how the author managed to work in the events leading up to the current position without info dumping.

Overall this was a truly engaging read with a fascinating premise. One I'd definitely recommend.

I can't put into words just how much I loved this book. When it was recommended to me by a friend to request, I was a little doubtful that this would live up to The Handmaid's Tale, a book that was compared to this. In fact, I couldn't have been more wrong. It completely surpassed my expectations. Not one to post spoilers, but this is an absolutely wonderful book.

Don't be put off by the science that appears in the books, by the way. It's there to serve a plot, but you don't miss out by not understanding it.

Thank you for the arc and apology it’s taken awhile to write this review.

The concept of this story, that in the future, the female daily word quota is reduced to 100 is actually incredibly “believable” and “intriguing” and it drawled my intention to read more.

It makes for a hard read, not in writing style. But just the thought of loosing the loss of voice and the consequences of doing so and over spilling the quota.

It caught and maintained my attention. Especially as I’m a chatty person.

Welcome to an America where women are only allowed to speak 100 words a day, 100 words that are measured by a wrist-counter they must wear and will shock them if they go above their quota. This novel is engaging and thought-provoking, not to mention chilling because of how easily this fiction can become reality. Whenever I put the book down, I did so reluctantly. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Power by Naomi Alderman.

I feel it's important to start with the issue/question I always have for books that do anything to do with segregating an entire nation/country/world by gender which is that I have yet to find an example of such a book that addresses people who are transgender or non-binary and how they would fit in to such a society. I understand on one level why authors don't engage with that discourse, but it always strikes me as concerning to not mention it at all. I had a similar issue with Eve of Man which was a YA title, but there are other examples out there.
Recognising that issue, I do think that this is a very interesting concept. The idea that women are only allowed to speak one hundred words a day is certainly a harrowing idea, especially as someone who talks a mile a minute. To have the main character be a scientist puts that even more into perspective. I thought that the way of life this necessitated (a 'traditional' (read sexist) housewife role) was best exemplified in the earlier parts of the novel, things felt a little more detached in the latter part which I think possibly meant a loss of perspective? While things were still clearly about all women, they felt very much centred on one or two, which made me a little less invested? It may just have been my perception of things. 

One thing I found very impactful was the speed at which these changes had been made. Much like in The Handmaid's Tale Jean can recall a time before these measures, a time which is recorded in a series of flashbacks. The timescale is even tighter than that of The Handmaid's Tale with only a matter of years (and not very many). The sense that such extreme measures could come into place at such a pace is saddeningly not implausible. While we don't get every detail of the political events that lead to the start of this book, there is a clear focus on the issue of being a bystander and the idea that doing so almost makes you an accomplice. In some ways this book could have felt very 'white feminist' but the inclusion of these flashbacks and the regret Jean feels made things seem somewhat more intersectional - though more can always be done.

Perhaps the most powerful dynamic in this story was that between Jean and her son. It was fascinating to see how Jean reacted (both initially and later on) to her son being taken in by the extremism and also seeing how her son develops within the story. It was a relationship that tugged at my heartstrings, that could have been a throwaway moment and instead was transformed into something more powerful. Of course, the mother-daughter relationship is of huge significance in a story such as this, but the mother-son also has an unexpected weight to it. 

My one other issue with this book is one that I have had with many books similar to this (The Unit springs to mind as a good example) so it is more of a 'straw that broke the camel's back' situation than a huge criticism of this book in particular. Why is it that in a dystopian novel  (particularly in a dystopian novel marketed towards adults) in some way or another a huge portion of the plot will revolve around sex/an extra-marital affair/ a sudden romance or similar? I don't always feel as though it serves the plot, and for me it makes me lose perspective, particularly in a story such as this one in which the fate of hundreds of women is at stake. I may be unique in the fact that it bothers me and if you love that plot point then that is wonderful, but in the spirit of honest reviews I thought it must be said. 

If you like exploring the terrifying future we may one day be a part of then I would suggest picking up Vox, being aware of where it falls a little short, but still enjoying (or...something less happy) the story with this in mind.

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

To coincide with International Women’s Day, the lovely people at HQ Stories made this title available to ‘Read Now’ for 24 hours on NetGalley. Having heard a bit about it, I jumped on the offer and am glad I did.

The funny/frightening thing about how I felt reading this book is that it seemed so familiar. The horrifying dystopian premise is so believable and something that is being represented, or has been, in a number of ways in fiction over the last couple of decades – and more so now with the TV adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale sending that book to the top of the charts and Naomi Alderman’s The Power gaining widespread acclaim and awards recognition.

The subject of the silencing of women is nothing new – but it has thundered full-force into the news and everyday conversation since the sexual assault revelations of the last year – with more women than ever standing together and coming forward – and people listening for the first time (many had come forward before and not been listened to).

Vox by Christina Dalcher is due to be published in Autumn this year, and takes this silencing to very literal extremes. It’s set in an America where women are given an allowance of only 100 words a day, controlled by a counter on their wrist which shocks them if they exceed the limit. They are relegated to the home, can no longer hold jobs and are actively rewarded for speaking as few words as possible in schools.

The story is about one woman, Dr Jean McClellan and her quest to reclaim her voice – for herself, her daughter and for every woman silenced. What makes this book feel so familiar right now is how quickly the instigators rose to power and made swift changes, and began to mould the minds of children in school – so that Jean’s own son is virtually a mouthpiece for the government. Both heartbreakingly, and understandably, in this situation, Jean begins to hate her own son – resent her own husband and feel a more urgent love for her young daughter, Sonia.

The governing body are the ‘Pure Movement’, a religious group who win power. Jean recalls how her friend Jackie chastised her for not voting and not participating as they rose to power, like many, barely noticing before it was too late. It’s a reminder how we must stay engaged in politics and stay aware of changes being made, no matter how small they seem. To disengage in the current climate could be costly.

Both Jean and the author are linguists (Jean used to be a neuroscientist) so, as a reader, there’s a lot to (gladly) learn from the perspectives and science on language and the power of communication. Aside from Jean, I would actually have been curious to follow Steven’s journey and how he changes throughout the novel – a lot of it is ‘off-screen’ in a sense – but psychologically could be a really interesting narrative too. Jean is torn between her duties to her family and her unique position as an expert and insider (she is brought on board by the government to apparently develop a cure for the President’s brother, who has suffered a stroke) who has an opportunity to fight back but risk everything – and some big losses are inevitable either way.

Vox is angry and fast-paced, and there were times when I wished it was longer, but I enjoyed reading it and there’s no doubt it is engaging and relevant. It’s a scorching debut from Christina Dalcher, hopefully the first of many.

I really, thoroughly enjoyed Vox. It was a chilling, enthralling read of how quickly things can change and ideologies can take over, to create a horrendous post-dystopian world where women are practically silenced, and forced into domestic drudgery, then blamed for the difficulties that wiping out half of the workforce creates.
There was some really, really great stuff in the book about hypocrisy, indoctrination, how easy it is to get used to something horrendous just because it’s your new normal, and how damaging it is to children to be introduced to ideals, how quickly they’ll latch on to them.
I also appreciated how thoroughly researched the book was, with plenty of information about linguistic development and linguistic delays, and the sound scientific backing behind the book. There’s nothing worse than a book which is clearly poorly researched. Having done some googling about the author, she was in a previous life a linguistic researcher, which explains the rigour of the backing information in Vox.
I read the book with a horrendous sense of anger, and a desire to punch everyone close to me who was of the male persuasion. Thankfully, I read it in my office at work, so I was actually alone, meaning that I wasn’t doing any ill-advised punching.
My only complaints about the book were as follows:
1) I would’ve liked more background. The book seems to be set in the early 2020s, where information and language are a massive part of our lives. To have descended within a single 12 month period to a state where women are no longer permitted to speak more than 100 words, read, open their own post, or even communicate through sign language, seemed, to me, a little too much of a stretch. I know that things can deteriorate incredibly quickly, and we can end up living in an Orwellian nightmare before we even realise it, but I would have liked more background on how this happened so fast in the book.
Tied in with this, I would’ve liked more information about the daily operation of life in this restricted nightmare. Girls and boys are educated separately, but who’s educating the girls? If they’re seen as lesser, needing to know only basic arithmetic and homemaking skills, surely men wouldn’t be willing to teach them? And if it’s a woman teaching them, how is she meant to keep order in the classroom with only 100 words a day?
2) I would’ve also liked more information about how in the hell the US was operating like this as against the rest of the world. The book briefly mentions that the rest of the world has just shaken their heads and let the States get on with it. But I really don’t think that would ever happen? The US is too tied up in treaties and conventions and agreements to be allowed to sequester itself and implement such blatant abuses of human rights, right?
3) The blurb of the book suggests that the ultimate plan is to silence women entirely. There are plenty of examples of this, with women who break the rules, or lesbians or queer women, women who try to escape… but it’s not really explained or depicted in the book that this applies to more than just women. Queer men are also subject to the same restrictions, and as the book continues, it becomes apparent that the overall plan isn’t just about women.
There’s no doubt that this is an enthralling, gripping examination of attitudes towards women, with a thorough background in it, but it really loses focus towards the end of the book. The wide-ranging plans of the government become of much more consequence than the daily subjugation which was depicted in the early chapters of the book, and that loss of focus means that the ending isn’t as powerful as it might have been.
Nonetheless, a gripping and highly entertaining (and rage-inducing) book that I’m looking forward to being published in August.