I know, I am doing my mental health no favours when I decide to read dystopian fiction at a time like this. But I’ve been wanting to read Vox by Christina Dalcher for quite some time – and the opportunity presented itself when I was suddenly forced to spend a lot more time indoors.
By nature, I am an avid lover of dystopian fiction, which is normally good at taking me outside of my bubble, placing me in an unfamiliar but thought-provoking situation. But in light of the current situation, it all feels too familiar. Vox had a massive impact on me. I put this mainly down to the real dystopia happening right now.
Of course, Vox wasn’t the perfect thought-provoking dystopian. (It has had its fair share of clichés that made me eye-roll on more than one occasion). But leaving aside the obvious allusions to The Handmaid’s Tale and the incredibly rushed and underwhelming ending, Vox did have some pockets of truth.
The near-future dystopia tells a story of how a Christian conservative government has come to power and enforced women to wear a metal “word counter” that gives them a 100 word limit per day. The device also delivers an electric shock, of increasing intensity, for every word spoken that exceeds the daily amount. Dr. Jean McClellan is stripped of her freedom and subjected to this new way of life.
At its core, Vox is a cautionary tale about what happens if society ignores the signs of danger – or dangerous belief systems – until it’s too late. This is something that really struck me about Vox. So often Jean talks about the dangers of complacency and being too late.
“My fault started two decades ago, the first time I didn’t vote, the umpteen times I told Jackie I was too busy to go on one of her marches or make posters or call my congressmen.”
Reading this part was a real eye-opener. It’s made me want to speak my mind more and participate in helping make the world a better place. While the best thing now is to ‘do nothing’ I hope this sentiment changes when we overcome the Corona Virus.
Ultimately, I think that Vox was a great thought-provoking piece. But as a novel? It was average at best. Anyway, after this self-reflection, I’m now back to reading fantasy fiction (escapism yay)!
Do you still read dystopian at a time like this? Or do you prefer reading something like fantasy fiction, to take your mind of this pandemic? Let me know what you are reading in lockdown in the comments.
Thank you for reading and stay safe!
Carmel
She blogs books 
You must be logged in to post a comment.