The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson

How far would you go to be free? Three generations of women forge a new path through an America torn by a mysterious wave of violence in this “chilling [and] dizzyingly effective” (The New York Times Book Review) novel of revenge, liberation, and triumph. “A compulsively readable fusion of domestic thriller and modern horror.”—Kameron Hurley, author of The Light Brigade “A novel that defines this era.”—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians They call it The Violence: a strange epidemic that causes the infected to experience sudden bursts of animalistic rage, with no provocation and no memory of their crimes. While it tears the nation apart, one woman sees something unlikely in the chaos—an opportunity. Chelsea Martin has been a prisoner in her own home for too long. Her controlling husband has manipulated her for years, cutting her off from all support. Her narcissistic mother is no help, and her teen daughter is realizing she might be falling into the same trap when her once adoring boyfriend shows a dark side. But when the Violence erupts, Chelsea creates a plan to liberate herself and her daughters once and for all. What follows is a shocking and thrilling journey as three generations of women navigate a world in which they are finally empowered to fight back. Somewhere along the journey from her magazine-ready Tampa home to the professional wrestling ring, Chelsea becomes her own liberator, an avatar of revenge and hope, and a new heroine for a new world.

This was a really interesting book, but check the trigger warnings (there's animal abuse, domestic violence, death, violence, blood etc.).

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey, and Delilah Dawson for a gifted copy of this book.

This book intrigued me based on its cover. I have an addiction to anything remotely crime/horror so I thought this would be right up my alley. Sadly, I had a very hard time getting through it even though it was well written. In a post-COVID world, there is a new deadly threat: The Violence. What is it? A disease, spread by mosquito, that takes the infected from 0-60 and leaves them in a blackout-type state where they demolish whatever or whoever stands in their way. Chelsea Martin, mother to teenage daughter Ella and 5-year-old Brooklyn. In the first few chapters, I found myself yelling at the abusive husband and Ella's boyfriend in equal measure. I was thrilled that a plan was constructed to get rid of the husband for a bit to give the girls a break from the abuse. This book took me about three weeks give or take a day to read even though it was well written. For me this had moments of greatness but because we are still going through the motions of covid that it was much to process. Overall, it did have a storyline that was well written which makes me hopeful for another read by this author. Three stars from me which is really good considering how much of a hard time I had with it. Very interesting concept looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

This really surprised me. It is so outside my comfort zone, but something about the blurb just intrigued me.

Chelsea's husband is a jerk. Everything has to be his way. Especially when he's been drinking. It's one thing to treat her bad, but she's starting to worry about her daughters. What if they make him mad? She has to leave. But she has nowhere to go. Her husband has made sure she has no friends, only him. Her mom is too busy with all of her rich friends and vacations. What can she do?

There have been some crazy news stories about this new disease called the Violence. Apparently people just go nuts and beat other people to death. Could this be Chelsea's way out?

This is a story about generations of abuse. Whether it's physical or mental, it's abuse. It's a story about ending the cycle. It's about the differences between the rich and the poor. It's about a horrible government. So many different things are addressed in this book.

My thoughts on this book changed so many times. But I found myself completely invested in the characters. I thought it was great.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher.

I received a free eARC of The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson from the publisher through NetGalley. I began reading the ARC and then switched over to a purchased audiobook edition (narrated by Hillary Huber). All opinions are my own. Imagine a post-COVID world in which people begin blacking out and suddenly and inexplicably commit acts of physical violence. For some, this strange pandemic of mindless violence may mirror ordinary life. For others it may present an opportunity. The Violence is fundamentally a story about surviving domestic abuse. Following three generations of women, Dawson explores how living with violence and generational trauma impact life and the family dynamic while also offering a rousing good story loaded with elements of speculative fiction, political and economic critique, horror, and feminism. The book, especially at the beginning is terrifying and potentially very triggering. As the novel progresses it begins to widen its scope a bit, lightens it's intensity in some ways, and incorporate elements ranging from humorous to almost whimsical...all while still remaining true to its themes. Counterbalancing the extreme discomfort and darkness I perceived in the beginning are moments of hope and transformation woven into various parts of the book. Dawson has skillfully written both a compelling plot but also some really incredible character arcs. Thematically this book brings a topic to light that is rarely discussed, let alone in such an honest way. The characters are wonderful and compelling and I was drawn in from the very first page. With all of that said, there were a few parts where I thought the plot strained reality a bit, especially in the second half of the book. I also found it a bit weird to be reading a book about a pandemic (The Violence) in which the narrative of the book (frequently) acknowledged COVID but was set post-COVID. Since COVID is still going on, albeit many parts of the world (very much including Florida, where this book is set) are acting as if it is not, it just seemed a bit surreal in some ways. I found myself wondering if The Violence was, in some ways, also about the COVID pandemic? Perhaps the world of the novel represents an alternative present? If so, I found it a bit odd that Dawson established and then critiqued elements in the book about the Violence pandemic response that did not actually happen in the real world (at least not in this country). There were also certain elements and themes that just seemed less developed or important than I wanted them to be. Nevertheless, the book ranged from chilling to heartwarming and was consistently engaging. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone (except perhaps those who might be triggered by domestic abuse and patriarchal oppression). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️