I can’t believe we reached the last post of this semester! It was such a great experience discussing my readings, and hopefully, encouraging those who read this blog to read too. For this last post, I could not NOT talk about Stephen King’s book, “If It Bleeds”, a book that surprised me in the best way. Thank you for sticking with me this semester, see you all soon!

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From the master of terror, a new collection of short stories that will take readers to terrifying moments of life … and death. Brilliant in short narratives, King has already written some short stories that have become successful around the world In this book, as well as in Four Seasons and Total Darkness without Stars, he creates a unique and exciting collection, demonstrating once again why he is considered one of the greatest storytellers of all time. This is a book about love, friendship, talent, and justice … in its most distorted forms. If It Bleeds, Stephen King brings together four stories with intelligent and complex protagonists, who have their common life transformed by some inexplicable element.

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If It Bleeds, brings Stephen King’s writing in four unpublished short stories, assembled in a copy with a cover that, in my opinion, is brilliant and matches perfectly with the book, full of intelligent, complex characters and whose lives undergo great transformations, many of them involving that macabre element characteristic of the author.

The stories will take the reader to terrifying moments of life and death. In short narratives, King provokes waves of horror in his lines, as well as in his novels, reminding the audience that he is one of the greatest storytellers of all time. Involving friendship, love, talent, and justice. If It Bleeds specializes in the distorted form of these existential issues by presenting its protagonists with the worst and the best in them.

I’m not sure if I was expecting what I found in If It Bleeds, but I ended up being surprised by each story. That said, I believe that many of King’s narrative qualities are in this work. It is coherent, well structured, and does not get lost, something that I notice a lot in the author’s larger books, in which the ending often disappoints. Perhaps here, because it is smaller and less verbose, the text is coherent and far from boring. It is undoubtedly the sum of two great factors: an incredible writer and the agility of short narratives.

When I think about which one I liked the most, I end up in a cruel doubt. They are different characters from each other and this in terms of age and experience, so it is difficult to compare them and choose only one. Each narrative brings the despair of death, turning the lives of the protagonists, be it a relative or friend, it is possible to infer that we are much more influenced throughout our existence by what we lose and not by what we gain.

The first short story, “Mr. Harringan’s Telephone,” tells of the friendship between a boy named Craig and the old man he serves, Mr. Harrigan. When death comes to his great friend, Craig makes a decision that also changes his trajectory. It is exciting, engaging, and shows us when we should stop with something that affects our lives and the memory of those who are gone.

“Chuck’s Life” is the second short story in the collection and was divided into three parts, following a narrative flow backward, narrating the story of two people who love each other, but, over time, become hated and fight against each other. This was the most confusing, but this is not bad, because when I faced the end, it took me a few minutes to recover from the shock. It is a story that speaks a lot about the small details of life and that makes all the difference.

“If It Bleeds”, the same title as the book is the third short story and begins by narrating a tragedy within a primary school. With many deaths and children injured after the bombing, Detective Holly decides to investigate something that caught her attention on the news. This is where a huge police thriller begins. It is a trajectory that speaks volumes about the cruelty of man, about innocent lives lost, and, mainly, about all the bad news with which we are massacred daily and how we deal with it.

Finally, the last story, entitled “Rat”, introduces us to a writer named Bill, which has already made me excited about reading. A failed writer, a single published short story, and a mental breakdown after trying to write a new book. In fact, I identified myself with every moment of exhaustion that filled Bill’s mind and physique. It talks a lot about the price we pay to be successful and how much it really is worth.

I am far from being an expert in King’s work, but from the small read bag I carry from the author, this was one of the most fun, besides, of course, agile and without exaggeration, which seems to be a common feature in his novels. If I were to recommend King’s books to anyone who isn’t a big fan of horror, it would be Joyland and If It Bleeds. There are two that have a supernatural footprint but are not terrifying.

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Sources:

Stephen King – If It Bleeds

https://ew.com/movies/stephen-king-if-it-bleeds-novellas-to-be-adapted-multiple-films/

 

 

 

Hello again!

Here is one of my collections of classical books that don’t look classical at all and are super entertaining to read. I hope you enjoy it!

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“Jane Eyre is an orphan girl who lives with her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her cousins, who always mistreat her. Until tired of the forced coexistence with her deceased husband’s niece, the woman sends Jane to a girls’ school, where she grows up and becomes a teacher. Over time, the desire to expand her horizons grows. She puts an ad in the newspaper looking for work as a housekeeper. The announcement is answered by Mrs. Fairfax, and Jane leaves the school to work at Thornfield Hall. There, she meets her boss, Mr. Rochester, a blunt and gloomy man, with whom he falls in love. But a great secret from the past stands between them.”

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Jane Eyre was a book that, inexplicably, I needed to read. Something attracted me to this work without being able to understand it, and time only increased my desire to read it. So, when I decided to do the Classic Week on the blog, I saw the perfect opportunity to fulfill my wish. And now I have every reason in the world to say how much this book fascinated me.
First, I must congratulate Editora Bestbolso for the translation done. The language used left the narrative very close to contemporary literature, but without losing the characteristic of classical. This made reading easier, without a doubt. However, I believe that even with another translation, the reading would have been equally engaging and charming, because Charlotte Brontë’s work is magnificent.
Right from the start, I found myself immersed in reading. However, the feelings aroused were none other than indignation and revolt. The beginning of Jane Eyre’s life was suffered, full of injustices, and such moments were perfectly described by the author. I even considered that the story would take darker directions, as in O Morro dos Ventos Wivantes, another legacy of the Brontë family. Although the book is filled with elements of Gothic literature, such as scenarios, mysteries about the characters’ past and, in many moments, supernatural airs, Charlotte took a different path from her sister, which makes her work more pleasant and, probably, more romantic, however far from being classified as “sugar water”.

It was clear, at various times, the prejudice of 19th century British society. In some of the characters’ statements, it is possible to visualize the inferior position of women in society, discrimination with lower economic classes, and even the rivalries between the British and the French.
Not only prejudice but the religious influence in Charlotte’s work was also clear.

Briefly (and without spoilers), we have: Christianity is presented in different ways through different characters. There is the character whose practices are contrary to what is preached by religion; there is another, a fervent, practicing Christian, but one who deals with distant earthly relationships, whether family or love. However, the religious practice that is most positively presented, is the closest to spiritualism, present even in the protagonist, who is based on her own intuition and her inner voice above all. It is as if this were the author’s way of showing her opinion, so divergent from most of her time.
Brontë also stood out in his time for building a character far ahead of his time. Jane Eyre had, as a goal in her life, her self-sufficiency and her independence, sought since very early in her life through work. At a time when women were basically supported by their husbands through marriage, it is to be admired the persistence of the protagonist to follow her principles, as well as to admire the courage of the author to defend her point of view, again, so different from your society.

Jane Eyre aroused the most diverse sensations in me. I started reading full of indignation, I was moved by passionate scenes, devastated by more dramatic ones, agonized by the possibilities that the story had in store, and, finally, ecstatic and touched by a novel that took my breath away. Not only did the story as a whole please me, with the most diverse surprises and twists, but the character enchanted me. Jane is one of those who follow her own principles, above all, even if it costs self-sacrifice, but that is exactly why she is so charming and so strong. The character showed me that we should not go against what we believe in any way.
There were very few moments when I found myself disconnected from history, which seemed to be taking a slower course. But, in 90% of its pages, it was an extremely enchanting reading, as only the books that become my favorites are capable of being. Jane Eyre is an unmissable classic.

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Sources:

One of today’s most acclaimed thriller writers, Gillian Flynn presents a disturbing account of a crisis marriage. With 4 million copies sold worldwide – the biggest editorial success of the year, behind only the Fifty Shades of Gray Trilogy – “Gone Girl” combines witty humor with an electrifying narrative. The result is an atmosphere of doubt that makes the reader change his mind with each chapter. On the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, Amy, Nick Dunne’s beautiful and intelligent wife, disappears from her home on the Mississippi River. Apparently, it is a violent crime, and passages in Amy’s diary reveal a perfectionist girl who would be able to push anyone to the limit. Under pressure from the police and public opinion – and also from Amy’s fiercely loving parents – Nick challenges a never-ending series of lies, half-truths, and inappropriate behavior. Yes, he seems strangely evasive and certainly bitter, but is he a murderer? With his twin sister Margo at his side, Nick claims innocence. The problem is, if it wasn’t Nick, where’s Amy? And why do all the clues point to him?

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Gone Girl has been considered the best book of the year for many readers who came into contact with this work. When I finished it, I didn’t classify it that way, but I couldn’t help feeling the amazement at its insane genius.
I must say that this was the book that took me the longest to read in my entire life. I started reading at the end of April and, after reading just over 100 pages, I had to interrupt it to follow up on other readings. Thus, the book reneged on my shelf until that month, when I decided that I would finish it, even with other pending readings awaiting me. This pause certainly affected my involvement, although I had not forgotten the main points of the story. I feel that she did not take me away with the expected intensity – even though from the beginning she had more to do with my curiosity than impacted me, in a proper way.
The chapters are alternated between the view of Amy and Nick and divided into three parts. In the first part, Amy’s vision is given by her diary and the question prevails about what would be behind her disappearance, mainly because her vision is so divergent from that of her husband as if two opposite stories were being told. I must highlight how much the author’s writing pleased me, because the phrases were composed to accurately convey thoughts and emotions, and because they are notable for that. I felt like I was, in fact, in the shoes of the characters, and the impact phrases were more than a positive point in the narrative.

Gillian Flynn, in fact, constructed this first part to situate the reader of events and begin to lead him to form an opinion. In the other parts, we have the answers to the questions initially created, in addition to the development of the whole situation, and it was then that I felt the anguish grow the most. I longed for an ending, and with each page, it seemed more unlikely to happen.
Perhaps, I didn’t feel so overwhelmed because I solved part of the mystery in the first part before it was revealed. The big initial question mark turned out to be no surprise. However, what amazed me about the work was not the surprise in itself of the revelations made, but how the characters were constructed in such a brilliantly frightening way. This is a psychological thriller that lives up to the genre, both for exploring the insanity of the situation experienced and for addressing the subject of relationships so intensely. The author knew how to explore the relationship between Amy and Nick because she knew how to approach their characteristics separately. By creating their individual characteristics, he was able to combine them to explore the relationship developed between them.

When I finished reading, I felt immense discontent, not because I disapproved of the ending, but because it bothered me. The outcome was not what I wanted, an ideal resolution, but a real ending to that situation and that tormented me. Gillian Flynn managed to build an insanely admirable work, something that amazes us at the madness clearly present, but that causes admiration for having been so well designed.
Exemplary Girl did not become my best reading of the year for not getting involved and impacted as I could since I had the potential to do so. However, it is certainly a book that deserves to be highlighted as one of the best representatives of the genre and will be among my nominations. Be prepared for the paradox of plunging into an unhealthy madness and admiring it for its brilliance.

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Sources:

September Book Club: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | The Times

Adaptations & Remakes: Gone Girl | The Obsessive Viewer

Everything seemed perfect, a real fairy tale less for the protagonist of this story. Morrighan is a kingdom steeped in traditions, stories, and duties, and the First Daughter of the Royal House, a 17-year-old girl named Lia, decided to escape an arranged marriage that was supposed to seal the peace between two kingdoms through a political alliance. The chosen young prince is then forced to cross the continent to find her at any cost. But that also becomes the mission of a feared murderer. Who will find it first?
When she finds herself a refugee in a small distant village, the perfect place to start again she tries to be an ordinary person, establishing herself as a waitress, and hiding her royal life. What Lia doesn’t know, when she meets two mysterious young men who have just arrived in the village, is that one of them is the prince who has been abandoned and is desperately looking for him, and the other, a cold and seductive murderer sent to end his life. brief life. Lia will find herself faced with betrayals and secrets that will unveil a new world around her.

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The Kiss of Deception is one of the great highlights of 2016. Written by Mary E. Pearson and published in Brazil (my home country) by Darkside Books, the first book in the Chronicles of Love and Hate trilogy became a sales success and won over countless readers.

17-year-old Lia is the first daughter of the Morrighan kingdom and therefore has obligations to fulfill as a princess. However, on her wedding day, she runs off with her loyal maid and friend to start her life under a false identity, far from her real stigma. When he ran away, however, the prince with whom he would marry and a murderer, sent with the mission to exterminate her, is on his trail. When they both finally find her settled in a small county, living as a waitress in a tavern, she has no idea who they might be, and their mission becomes more and more nebulous in the face of new situations.

Certainly, the highlight of The Kiss of Deception is Mary E. Pearson’s own writing. His narrative has strength for its beauty, bordering on being, often, poetic. Still, the story is narrated in the first person by Lia, the prince, and the murderer, in alternate chapters, and the great idea of ​​the author has not revealed who would be who among the male figures. Thus, the loving tension arises mainly as a result of not knowing the identity and intention of each of the characters.

The Kiss of Deception brings a mixture of romance, fantasy, medieval scenery, and political interests in its plot, which probably makes the book different from many YA’s already published. However, at least in this first volume, the other elements lose strength compared to the first, and the love triangle is the main focus of the story.

I found the process of maturity faced by Lia interesting, in addition to her personality in itself has already captivated me. More than a strong genius, the protagonist is averse to laws, and her search for being the owner of her destiny certainly pleased me – mainly because it is from this search that she ends up being obliged to review concepts and decisions while discovering more about her origins of what you never imagined.

Although I liked the story as a whole, reading The Kiss of Deception was not as engaging or exciting as I imagined, falling short of what was expected mainly because of the furor caused around the work. As I mentioned, I especially liked the writing of Mary E. Pearson, but it would be a lie to say that I felt extremely attached to the narrative and the plot at all times. More I went ahead for having already started than for, in fact, feeling that eagerness to reach the end. And about the mystery surrounding the characters’ identities, I was really in doubt, but mainly because I thought that the solution would not be so predictable, and, in a way, it ended up being.

Nevertheless, The Kiss of Deception is a good indication for fans of novels that seek a differential in reading, this differential being offered in the plot by the fantastic scenery created by Mary E. Pearson. Still, it is important to note that the book ends in a cliffhanger, which makes reading the second volume, The Heart of Betrayal, practically mandatory for those who liked the first.

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Sources:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32596688-the-remnant-chronicles

In today’s post, I will talk about one of the books of my favorite romance author of all times. Am I allowed to say I have read ALL of her work? You can say I am a fan. I hope you enjoy this recommendation!

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Lily didn’t always have an easy life, but that never stopped her from working hard to achieve the life she dreamed of. She has come a long way since childhood in a small town in Maine: she majored in marketing, moved to Boston, and opened her own store. So when you’re attracted to a handsome neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything seems too perfect to be true. Ryle is confident, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He is also sensitive, bright, and attracted to Lily. However, his great aversion to relationships is disturbing. In addition to being overwhelmed with questions about her new relationship, Lily is unable to get Atlas Corrigan out of her head – her first love and the link to the past she left behind. He was her protector, someone with whom she had a great affinity. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily built with Ryle is at risk. With a bold and extremely personal book, Colleen Hoover tells a devastating but also innovative story, which is not afraid to discuss topics such as abuse and domestic violence. An unforgettable narrative about a love that costs too much.

It Ends With Us is Colleen Hoover’s best-rated book on both Skoob and Goodreads. No wonder: the novel published in Brazil by Galera Record is one of the author’s works that most empathize when dealing with a serious and painful theme such as domestic violence.

Lily grew up in a troubled home, but that didn’t stop her from battling for her conquests as an adult. After moving from Maine to Boston, she opens her own business and meets Ryle halfway. Were it not for the neurosurgeon’s aversion to relationships, he would be perfect. But the attraction between them seems to be stronger, which promotes an ever-closer relationship… Until the appearance of Atlas, Lily’s first love, capable of changing the whole dynamics of this new relationship.

As usual, Colleen Hoover’s narrative skill engages the reader from the first pages and effortlessly engages him. In this case, in the first person, we know Lily’s story little by little from her adult perspective, sometimes alternating with her 15-year-old version through her teenage diaries. In this way, we gradually learn about the facts that shaped her at the same time that we follow the transformation of her emotions after meeting Ryle. And the novel, too, is typical of the author: there is a mixture of chemistry and sweetness, overwhelming passion and pain.

However, what screams in It Ends With Us is the deep emotional conflict in which Lily ends up facing, making her question everything she knew about herself, life, and her parents, and, here, Colleen Hoover was brilliant. We live with the protagonist each of her agonies and, above all, we understand each of her doubts, something so necessary about the subject addressed. By putting ourselves in Lily’s shoes, we get closer to understanding other people in similar situations and we move away from judgments a little more – which really prevents help in many of these cases.

I believe that Colleen Hoover’s asset was the fact that he lived much of what was narrated. This is an extremely personal story for the author, who forced her to put herself at the center of the facts, changing her perspective until then. So, It Ends With Us brings, above all, truth is what is told, what makes the book so true and impactful.

For some reason, It Ends With Us was not among my favorites by the author, even though I loved reading it. At the same time that I got involved and read practically without interruption, I also did not suffer emotional shock with reading, except for certain passages. In this way, I loved the book, but I was not impacted as other works by Hoover impacted me. Still, I applauded the author for having touched on such a relevant topic in such a sensitive and empathic way. And if I practically didn’t shed tears as I read, your final note touched me deeply and then it destroyed my floodgates. Feeling his account and sharing his thoughts was essential to see how much he bases the structure of It Ends With Us and I admired Colleen Hoover even more for his courage in allowing himself to develop something so deeply painful.

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Sources:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27362503-it-ends-with-us

“Winston, the hero of 1984, George Orwell’s last novel, lives trapped in the totalitarian machinery of a society completely dominated by the State, where everything is done collectively, but each one lives alone. Nobody escapes the surveillance of Big Brother, the most famous literary personification of a cynical and cruel power to the infinite, besides a void of historical sense. In fact, the ideology of the dominant Party in Oceania is aimed at nothing at all, now or in the future. O’Brien, Party hierarch, is the one who explains to Winston that ‘we are only interested in power itself. Neither wealth, nor luxury, nor long life, nor happiness – just power for power, pure power.”

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1984, a classic by George Orwell, was one of the books that had been on my wish list for a long time, more precisely as one of the practically mandatory readings in my experience as a reader. Being one of the parents of dystopias, he inspired several current works, in addition to Big Brother, a world-famous reality show program.

Narrated in the third person, the book brings the story of Winston in the year that gives name to the work, in London, belonging to Oceania, superpower controlled by the Party, totalitarian government commanded by its leader and symbol, the Big Brother. The protagonist belongs to the External Party, a social class intermediary to the Party Nucleus, the most privileged, and to the “proletariat”, the most disadvantaged and predominant. In addition to Oceania, there are two other superpowers, Eurasia and Eastia, constantly at war with each other. Winston, while under pressure to accept the current system, ends up intimately rebelling against him and, upon meeting Julia, with whom he falls in love, they both go on a secret revolt against the Party, united by a love for each other and the desire to freedom.

Firstly, it is interesting to follow the characteristics of the society described, as well as each of them influenced so many of the contemporary dystopias, read not only by young people but by readers of all ages: the hierarchy of social classes; government oppression and violence; the alienation and distortion of the truth as a form of control. In particular, it was impossible not to remember, especially, The Donor of Memories, by Lois Lowry, mainly because of the government’s attempt to control emotions and human and family relationships.

Furthermore, George Orwell’s own writing is worthy of attention. While there seems to be a certain distance and simplicity in his words, there are moments of greater intensity and sensitivity, including with regard to the relationship between Winston and Julia. There is a certain romanticism between them that I did not expect to find during reading, and I was surprised by Orwell’s delicate and almost poetic narrative at those moments.

However, the great asset of 1984, for me, lies in the psychological construction of the plot. It is the way in which the Party manages to influence the minds of individuals that guarantees power to it, and the level reached by the human being is terrifying, what it becomes when taken by a distorted truth. George Orwell was able to masterfully demonstrate human and societal disintegration precisely because he managed to reveal the weaknesses and cruelty of men; 1984 is not just a criticism of totalitarian governments, but, above all, a warning about the corruption and subversion of man, an evil to which he is subjected when exposed to his worst fears.

1984 does not provide a fast or frantic reading, which does not mean it is not a good read or even uninteresting. On the contrary, it is a full plate for anyone who knows how to appreciate its particularities and grandeur. George Orwell, in his latest novel, described a somewhat feared futuristic society. Today, distant for more than 30 years from the time he imagined, his work remains current with regard to the dangers suffered by a man when his greatest weaknesses are exposed, and when there is the inexhaustible desire for power coupled with the deepest cruelty of the soul itself human.

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Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/19/legacy-george-orwell-nineteen-eighty-four

This week’s review is about a book I read after watching the Netflix show by the same name, produced in Brazil, which I completely loved and binge-watched.

“The routine of police secretary Verônica Torres was calm, bureaucratic, and full of dreams interrupted until that morning. An abyss opens before her feet all of a sudden when, in the same week, she witnesses an unexpected suicide and receives an anonymous call from a woman crying out for her life. Veronica feels a real chill, but embraces the opportunity to show her investigative skills and decides to dive alone in both cases. A whirlwind of unexpected events is unleashed and leads to an encounter with the darker side of the human heart.”

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Good morning, Veronica is the suspense initially published by the codename Andrea Kilmore, a bet by Darkside Books in bringing together two famous authors, namely: Raphael Montes, author of fiction books, such as Secret Dinner; and Ilana Casoy, author of nonfiction books, such as Serial Killers Archives. A fusion of the best in the universe of national police suspense literature.

Verônica Torres is a police officer leaning on the profession of police secretary, a quiet profession that involves bureaucracy, spreadsheets, and coffee for her superior Carvana. Until, on a certain morning, an abyss opens at your feet when you witness an unexpected suicide. As if that were not enough, Veronica still receives an anonymous call in which a woman begs for her life. The truth is that, despite being frightened, the police see themselves with an opportunity to show their investigative skills. Diving alone in both cases, a whirlwind of events triggers the encounter with the darker side of the human being.

I was looking forward to this reading because Raphael Montes was a discovery for me this year and has been a master in the genre I like the most. After knowing that Good Morning, Veronica would come out in series format on Netflix, I was overcome by the urge to complete it before the adaptation was released. I passed in front of many books and, although I noticed many flaws that reconsidered my final grade, it was fun to spend time with an amoral character. Veronica is not what is expected of a police officer; the fight for justice, although resistant in its personality, ends up being hidden by the ambition of the woman who often only thinks about the positive result for her career in solving two cases, disregarding the dangerous path that this creates for the victims.

Considering the narrative construction of Bom dia, Verônica, I noticed many approaches and few conclusions. Raphael Montes and Ilana Casoy made a point of presenting facts and obsessions in an original way in books of the genre. What I saw as a problem is that at times I seemed to be reading a series of considerations about a crime rather than a fictional book. And my constant difficulty in immersing myself in the novel caused dispersion, distance, and, consequently, abandonment of the pages, something that did not happen, for example, with Raphael Montes’ O Vilarejo. I believe that, although it was a great idea to unite two minds focused on crime, nonfiction stood out in a way that the narrative became tiring or, in brutal moments of the work, something created to shock.

And I have to say: the premise is very good. The way the story unfolds, with the details being presented in a dosed and frequent way, makes the rhythm constant and fast – and you don’t want to drop the book, because you feel that things are in constant motion.

The clues that are being left behind fit well – especially with the construction of the characters and the mystery. We gradually unite them, so that we are part of Verônica’s investigation.

It wasn’t a bad read, in fact, it was interesting to be in a very different and objective style of the suspense narrative. I took ideas and knowledge to the end of the reading about things that we rarely get inside in the investigative environment. My final remarks make it clear that I have already read much better from Raphael Montes and that I really need Ilana Casoy’s books for further study in criminology. However, I don’t know if I would get another romance with both of them.

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Sources: https://www.thunderwave.com.br/en/resenha-bom-dia-veronica/

Netflix Inc.

Hello everyone! Like last semester, I am more than excited to exercise through blogging one of my passions: reading. With these weekly posts, I hope to recommend and discuss a variety of books that I have read in the past and that I think are worth reading!

Since this is week one, I wanted to start with one of the most recent books I read that have a deeper meaning while being entertaining to read. Enjoy!

“The government decrees that women can only speak 100 words a day. Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial. She doesn’t really believe this is happening. This is just the beginning …
Before long, women are also prevented from working and teachers no longer teach girls to read and write. Before, each person spoke an average of 16,000 words a day, but now women only have 100 words to make themselves heard.
… But it’s not the end.
Fighting for herself, her daughter, and all the silenced women, Jean will claim her voice.”

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Vox has caught my attention since I heard of its release: a dystopia situated in the near future in the USA that besides talking about the oppression of women still occurs in a single volume would certainly leave me intrigued. This is the debut novel by Christina Dalcher, a linguist who has also published several short stories.

After the election of an ultra-conservative far-right government in the USA, women – and all those who shy away from the “Pure” ideal – lost their rights. They can now only speak up to 100 words throughout the day, cannot work outside the home, receive limited studies, and are geared exclusively to the home regiment, just as they must obey men and dedicate themselves to their own families. So, when neurolinguist Dr. Jean McClellan is summoned to work on a mission for being one of the only professionals in the field trained in this regard, she finds herself in the opportunity to fight for her voice and that of all those who have been silenced.

Vox aroused several sensations: not only did I find myself disgusted with many of the situations exposed in the reading, but I was also afraid of what I read. Although we are talking about an extreme and hypothetical situation, it was impossible not to establish the common points between fiction and reality, especially with regard to how it all started in history and the many of the thoughts propagated in reading. In fact, this was one of Christina Dalcher’s strengths, since she started from problems and distorted ideals found in our Western society to take them to the extreme, showing the consequences of an authoritarian, oppressive positioning and centered on a single accepted model of society.

Not only for the thematic and for the exposed problems, but Vox also conquers for its own construction. The first person narrative brings us closer to Jean, which allows a quick involvement with reading. Still, the short chapters give agility to the plot, making the reader does not feel like unplugging from the pages. It didn’t take long for me to feel like the protagonist and I loved how the author worked on her emotional conflicts, especially with regard to what she feels about the men in her family. The characters, including Jean herself, are not perfect, and this range of aspects makes everything more palpable, even if the context of the plot is more distant because it is dystopian. Also, I loved to see the criticism that Jean represented since at the top of her privileges, she considered the position of those who fought for minorities to be exaggerated. Now, being a minority, she understands what she used to criticize, serving as an example to allow an opening in the vision of who is in the same place that she previously occupied.

My only criticism of Vox is its resolution. The final events of the book happen very quickly and, in a way, even very easily. So, at the same time that some passages were even a little confused, due to the speed with which they happen, I finished the book without feeling the impact that it could cause if its ending were slower. It was a great read, without a doubt, but it did not mark me when it was finished.

Vox pleased me for touching on urgent themes and for exploring the protagonist’s emotions very well. Also, I loved having found so many linguistic notions in the book, as this is the formation of Christina Dalcher – the author certainly knew how to apply her reality with the skill to combine it with important aspects of the plot. In general, it is a reading that I recommend to everyone so that it is possible to reflect on many of the points it touches; in addition to excellent entertainment in terms of what the book provides, it makes it possible to reevaluate many of the thoughts that surround us when questioning them.

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Sources:

https://www.writersdigest.com/be-inspired/language-arts-vox-author-linguist-christina-dalcher-discusses-the-power-of-words

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37796866-vox

 

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