Vox

I’ve mentioned before that I love dystopian fiction, especially books that imagine women’s experiences in those societies. Ever since I read The Handmaid’s Tale, I’ve constantly been looking for similar texts. It’s hard to compare other dystopian works to THT because it’s a seminal work in both feminist and speculative fiction genres.

I think I found Vox by Christina Dalcher on one of those staff picks shelves in Barnes & Noble. The premise seemed interesting: in a not-too-distant America, women are allotted 100 words to speak per day. They are no longer allowed to work outside the home, read, or have social lives. Word counts are tracked on wrist counters: unpleasant Fitbits that instead of gently vibrate when you hit your 10,000 steps for the day, dole out an intense electric shock if you exceed your word allowance. The government, of course, is headed by men, as women have been removed from positions of power. Gay couples are forced to abandon their relationships, or be forced into prison where they must share a cell with a member of the opposite sex. Outspoken and defiant feminists are sent to concentration camps to complete forced labor.

Dr. Jean McClellan is a flawed protagonist, convinced that the new government could never carry out its plans to silence women. While the leaders of the Pure Party were taking over the country, Jean remained silent, consumed by her own research. She married an intelligent man who also chose to stay out of politics, against the urging of her activist friend, Jackie. When the Pure Movement does take over, Jean loses her job, her voice, and is forced to raise her daughter in virtual silence. In a twist of fate, the president’s brother sustains a head injury while skiing and the government quickly puts together a team of scientists to create a serum to reverse the damages of the concussion. Jean is assigned to the team, her wrist counter is removed, and she’s able to resume normalcy until the problem is solved.

This book is so similar to THT, that some might not find it original. I don’t want to spoil everything, but here are some parallels I found:

1. Jean is very similar to Offred (June): they’re both passive in politics leading up to the takeover by a fundamentalist group.
2. Both protagonists partner with passive men and at times resent that their partners did not take more action.
3. Each have an outspoken feminist co-pilot who understand the changes going into place.
4. Each must decide if and how to rebel against the repressive patriarchal government.
5. Dystopian nightmares where women are useless except for the government’s purpose (engineering a serum/breeding).

There are a lot more similarities and for some readers, it might be a little redundant. However, I enjoyed reading it: it’s fast-paced and interesting, although the ending did feel a bit rushed. I loved that Dalcher kept the female characters living alongside men who, of course, lost nothing. This dynamic put more strain on Jean’s relationships with her husband and sons and showed how men embrace or challenge oppressive patriarchies.

Publication info

Vox. Christina Dalcher, Berkeley, 2018.

ISBN: 0440000785

336 pages

Ready Player One

If you’ve been on this blog before, you’ve probably noticed that I don’t often dabble in science fiction.  It might be unfair to lump all sci-fi and fantasy books together, but I generally find that they have too much jargon and not enough world building. I also don’t have the patience for drawn out sagas (I make an exception for Harry Potter.) I’ve been on a dystopian kick for the past three years, and, somehow,  Ready Player One made it onto my list of books to read.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. While it has a lot of references to 80’s pop culture, I didn’t feel overwhelmed. For some reason, reading the book was really nostalgic, despite having never experienced the 80’s first-hand. There were a lot of technical terms, but I found that Ernest Cline was really deft at explaining those ideas without being heavy-handed.

The story is set in a futuristic America where the majority of citizens interact in an online universe called the OASIS. The death of the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, brings an action-packed quest to find his Easter egg and win control of the universe. Ready Player One focuses on contemporary issues in society as well. The hunt for Halliday’s egg quickly becomes dominated with those who wish to monopolize the OASIS (the Sixers), and keep poorer citizens from accessing it.

After several years of searching for the key to the first gate, Wade Watts, or Parzival as he is known in the OASIS, becomes the first player to get on the scoreboard. As he continues on the quest, he finds that the Sixers will stop at nothing to win control of the OASIS and must trust people he’s never met to help him win.

Publication info

Ready Player One. Ernest Cline. Crown Publishers, 2016.

ISBN:030788743X

374 pages

The Power

If novels had theme songs, the one to Naomi Alderman’s The Power would be “Electric Feel” by MGMT. But in all seriousness, The Power centers around the idea that women have awakened a biological power that allows them to dole out electric shocks, causing massive pain towards others and leading them to take power away from men.

Now, I love a good dystopian novel, especially one that focuses on women’s experiences. One of my favorite books of all time is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood and I’m constantly looking for books that contemplate women’s roles in an oppressive patriarchy.  I was prepared to like this book. Reviewers have said it was innovated and even my girl Maggie Ats applauded the book. It was such a letdown.

The premise is certainly interesting; women are suddenly able to tap into a biological power that makes them stronger than men. Taking a note from patriarchy, women overtake the world, subjecting the men to sexual harassment, physical abuse, and general misandry. The story follows five characters, as they experience this newfound power and the social order that becomes of it.

My problem with the book is not the premise. Alderman’s examples of misandry are well-chosen mirrors of the unfair treatment women face on a daily basis. There were scenes of sexual harassment and rape in which the perpetrators (women) claimed the victims (men) were asking for it. At some point, the government of a newly formed country mandate that all men be registered under a female keeper who will dictate how they move about the country. The examples throughout the book certainly have parallels in both history and modern-day and were effective.

However, the book seemed undeveloped. There’s so much time spent on describing how women become powerful and not enough time developing the characters or building the world in which this happened. I found it unbelievable that male dominated societies, with militaries, weapons, money, and political power could not find a way to stop these women. While I was intrigued by the ideas that people with power will abuse those without it regardless of their sex and that matriarchies can be as violent as patriarchies, I felt that those ideas were not completely fleshed out. In short, the world in which The Power takes place still seems really hazy to me, which is really disappointing.

Publication info

The Power. Naomi Alderman, Viking, 2017.

341 pages

ISBN: 0670919985

The Program

It’s been a long time since I’ve read any Young Adult fiction. For some reason, once I went to college, I felt that YA wasn’t sophisticated enough (it probably had something to do with befriending several literature majors.) Anyways, I found this book through Pinterest, and decided to read it without really knowing what it was about.

The Program is a dystopian novel set in nearly present-day America. Teen suicide rates have skyrocketed and the government, in an attempt to save the young generation, formulate The Program. While their intentions seem noble, The Program “rehabilitates” suicidal teens by tampering with their memories. Instead of sending the teens to grief counseling or having a psychiatrist treat them (many have lost friends or family members to suicide,) The Program removes their memories completely. When the young folks return to society, they are not the same people they were before, having lost large chunks of their identity and experiences.

The book follows Sloane who, months after her brother’s suicide, finds herself closely monitored by The Program. She and her boyfriend, James, fear they will be taken at any moment. and that, if taken, they will not be able to hold on to each other and they will return unable to recognize each other.

Much to my surprise, this was an exciting read for me. The writing was good, the plot was interesting, and the pace was fast. The one problem I had with the novel, and with a lot of dystopian literature in general, was the lack of background. How many children have gone into The Program? Were other methods tried? Why did the government think tampering with people’s minds (the books alluded to lobotomies) was preferred over counseling and psychiatry? How large was the suicide epidemic? What types of treatment do they plan for adults who have also experienced grief? Hopefully, the sequel will offer insight into these questions.

Publication Info

The Program. Suzanne Young. Simon Pulse, 2013.

ISBN: 1442445807

405 pages