Blog Stop - VOX by Christina Dalcher

What They Say:

Neurolinguist Dr Jean McClellan, has become a woman of few words. One hundred words per day to be exact; any more and a thousand volts of electricity will course through her veins. She is not alone.

Now that the new government is in power, no woman is able to speak over this limit without punishment. Books are forbidden, bank accounts transferred to the closest male relative and all female employment suspended, while young girls are no longer taught to read and write.

But when the President’s brother suffers a stroke, Jean is temporarily given back her voice in order to work on the cure. But things are not as they seem and Jean soon discovers that she is part of a much larger plan, to silence voices around the world for good.

The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Power, VOX is book club fiction with huge commercial appeal and a sharp political edge. Poignant and subversive, this is a thrilling feminist dystopia that resonates with the exploding conversations around female equality and the misuse of power.

About Christina Dalcher:

Christina Dalcher earned her doctorate in theoretical linguistics from Georgetown University. She specializes in the phonetics of sound change in Italian and British dialects and has taught at universities in the United States, England, and the United Arab Emirates. Over one hundred of her short stories and flash fiction appear in journals worldwide. Recognitions include the Bath Flash Award’s Short List; nominations for The Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best Small Fictions; and multiple other awards. She teaches flash fiction as a member of the faculty at The Muse Writers Center in Norfolk, Virginia. VOX is her first novel and has been longlisted for the 2018 Not The Booker Prize.

What I Say:

Wow! Vox is going to be a huge hit! The premise, where women are silenced, limited to 100 words per day, is terrifyingly possible. I can picture the government who set this plan in motion and that scares me.

Jean, the protagonist, is very strong and capable. She isn't ready to believe that the rest of her life will be controlled in this way. She doesn't want her daughter to grow up in a world where she is punished for speaking or not being submissive to a man. She is prepared to risk everything for her family. Her son is on the side of the Pure movement and this doesn't sit well with Jean.

So when an opportunity arises to possibly make a change, Jean decides to try her luck and put her specialist skills to work.

Full of suspense, horror (but not in the traditional sense) and so very clever, Vox is one of the most unique books I have ever read.