A review by tessa_talks_books
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson

4.0

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson is a disturbing yet thoroughly compelling pandemic tale of a world after Covid. There are so many triggers in this story, not to mention another pandemic (when I am so weary by anything virus-related). I usually would not have gotten this book nor finished it if I did get it. Yet, I did just that, and I couldn’t put it down, staying up long into the night. If you have any triggers, it is probably in this story. I know mine were, and they are pet death/abuse and anything terrible that separates parents and children. These two topics have always left me in a puddle, and typically, I just won’t read them. Nope. No way. No how. But I did with this book because somehow it took me to a place where I could separate my emotions behind those triggers from what was happening on the page. And I really wanted everything to return to normal or, instead, better than expected. So, I had to know that it did, which kept me glued to the page. I loved that the people learned how to solve the pandemic problem as a community. Even though it could be dangerous, they came together and figured out so much. It is a heartwarming moment in an otherwise nail-biting world. There are characters that I loved, those that I really didn’t, and one that went from one I hated to one I loved. There are also politically preachy moments that were very eye-rolling for me, and I felt that the story could have been done without. I don’t know that the story will cause everyone to separate from the emotions behind their triggers like I did, so if you have any, I would tread carefully. But if you are one of those lucky readers who aren’t plagued by them, then this is a book that will totally fascinate you, and the nearly 500 pages will not seem like enough to cover the impact of this endemic/pandemic story.