Vox Kindle Edition

Some of the critical reviews on this site gave me pause before downloading Vox, but I’ve always been intrigued by dystopian novels and, in this case, my curiosity outweighed my skepticism. The plot—that women wear monitoring bracelets that only allow them to speak 100 words a day before receiving electric shocks that increase in their intensity—was an original one. I’m glad my curiosity got the better of me. Contrary to the critics, I didn’t find this book to be heavy-handed politically. Politics play an integral part in any dystopian novel, and of course they will play one in a book in which there is a government conspiracy to subjugate and silence women, but the author is deft in balancing the political aspects with some fine storytelling, Strictly on its literary merits, the book is excellent and does justice to its clever plot.I did find Jean, the protagonist, a bit harsh at times and not always likable, especially in her dealings with her own family, but if the author’s intention was to create a realistic main character, warts and all, she succeeded. And Jean’s anger is certainly justified. I did find myself rooting for the character consistently, so her likability wasn’t much of an issue.A problem I did have was Jean’s relationship with her husband of 17 years, Patrick. She’s often contemptuous of him, especially in (constant) comparisons with her secret lover, Lorenzo. In the society in which Jean lives, adultery (or any fornication outside of marriage), at least for women, is a crime punishable by Heather-Prynne-like public mockery followed by complete silence and exile to a camp for so-called wayward women. So Jean is willing to risk quite a lot for this affair. In her comparisons, Patrick is always presented as weak, while Lorenzo, her guitar-strumming, brain-scientist, Romance-language, romance-novel of a lover, is presented as a savior/Superman. This is a real issue. First of all, in a book that is making a strong statement about female oppression at the hands of a chauvinistic society, I’m uncomfortable about such a one-dimensional idea of the ideal male role model. Second, fiery Jean becomes diminished by her constant reliance on this mythical strongman to bolster her. Third, I find the character of Patrick, one of a number of decent men caught up in a toxic societal situation that he’s not really equipped to change (unless he’s willing to jeopardize himself and the family he loves), is infinitely more relatable, realistic, and interesting.The Lorenzo character irks me in another way. Vox strives, mostly successfully, for a sense of realism. As in the grandfather of dystopian novels, Nineteen Eighty-Four, all the characters are constantly monitored by video cameras. With modern society’s surveillance capabilities, it’s even less of a leap to imagine this scenario now than it was when Orwell’s classic was first published in 1949. In Vox, the Pure people, a male-dominated movement that’s akin to our moral majority with an added dose of misogyny, has completely wrested power away from women and decent-but-passive men such as Patrick. The author peoples her novel with flawed characters who are sometimes unlikeable, such as Jean, Patrick, and their oldest child Steven, who’s pretty contemptible for much of the book. For a character such as Fabio—er, Lorenzo—to exist in this environment is jarring. The author, with her literary chops, had me expecting more of this book than to have it degenerate into a romantic fantasy. This type of device doesn’t turn me off because I’m a prude, but because I appreciate good, layered, believable literature. For a serious novelist, romantic fantasy amounts to nothing more than lazy plot resolution.Speaking of plot resolution, perhaps the book’s ending ties things up a bit too quickly and firmly—especially considering the bleakness of the author’s vision of this society—but we do see some character growth and the reader can take away some hope for everyone who lives in a society with a double standard of morality and a warped sense of what is considered decent.Despite the flaws of Vox, the work is compelling and enjoyable and has a strong, consistent political message that merits it a solid 3-and-a-half stars (rounded up to 4) from this reader.

In many ways, this novel was indicative of the pendulum swinging ‘way far back to another era, when women were second class citizens. Perhaps the readers haven’t lived during the time when children were seen and not heard - only able to speak when spoken to. When women were educated only as housekeepers - with emphasis on “home economics” - cooking, sewing and taking care of children. Parties always separated the men from the women when the men retired to discuss world affairs over brandy and cigars, while the women were left to talk about “womanly” things. The woman who spoke out was considered strange - an outlier - a troublemaker, unfeminine and worse! And, husbands who ‘allowed’ their wives to work were considered less desirable (and most men got all puffed up proclaiming, “My wife will never work!”So, I read Vox and saw the tale as if, in reality, that pendulum did take a mighty swing back. Right now, it seems to be a woman’s world - in politics, the boardroom, and on the front in battle - and men are pictured as being confused, depressed and uncertain of what their role in life truly is. After all, women now don’t need men to procreate - so no wonder men feel threatened! We can only hope they won’t get any ideas from this novel! And, hopefully, swinging back will never take the form of “bracelets” that count words and give a painful shock if the daily quota is exceeded!What was unrealistic about this tale was that the entire movement seemed to swirl around Jean, Patrick and Lorenzo - and their friends and scientific associates, in Washington DC. It really didn’t tell us much about what was going on in the rest of the country, so it was a bit difficult to envision a groundswell. Also, Jean and Lorenzo seemed to come up with the serum in no time flat - one would have thought that when they ‘retired’ Jean to life as a housewife, all her notes would have stayed with her laboratory. I agree that the ending was a bit complicated and abrupt - and seemed to wrap up missing some needed explanation. But, all in all, it was a page-turner, well-written and it was fun to read and think about!

A powerful and thoughtfully provoking story. So emotionally expressive and engaging.If you loved The Handmaid’s Tale,, you will love this!

I am a die-hard of dystopian literature and VOX got me hooked until the end. Imagine not being able to speak more than 100 words a day because you are a woman! You also cannot work, have a bank account, have a mobile phone. Being a woman becomes a sort of a curse. A fantastic book that makes us think about how far we have come and to appreciate more the things we take for granted.

I have enjoyed the book, even the most cringy parts, and I like the new take on the concept of freedom and how easily it could be limited or lost.The only thing I did not really like is the way (us) Italians are described, as it is too stereotypical and distant from reality.

Buena novela, muy inquietante

Excelente

A good book and an interesting point of view on the women’s future