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A review by ariizolas
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
2.0
2.5 - I think my biggest complaint about this book is it's just...not...subtle. I don't disagree with the message by any means, it's just that this book is incredibly graphic and gory and deals with some insanely heavy topics, but it somehow feels somewhat shallow at the same time. The morals, the metaphor of the Violence itself, this book just kind of beats you over the head trying to explain itself. And on that note - there is so much head-bashing in this book. Like so much. I counted maybe three instances of the word 'pulpy,' and I don't think I ever want to read that word in reference to the inside of my brain ever again.
Still, I get the impression that this book was personally very powerful for the author to write, and so I don't have the heart to actually dislike it. Once you get past the extremely explicit abuse, which is tossed at you all at once within the first ten or so chapters, the story morphs into a rather heartwarming tale of empowerment, overcoming abuse, and working past generational trauma. Patricia and Brooklyn's story was probably the most compelling of the three main storylines, at least in my opinion. The ending is very happy and neat for a story about a(nother) global pandemic and abuse, but I'm willing to look past it if the intention was (as I'd venture to guess) to provide hope for abuse survivors. This book just wasn't for me - generally I'm not looking for hyperrealism in the books I read nowadays - but I can see the appeal for other readers.
As a side note, I could have done without the references to COVID and a certain politician. Ultimately, they don't contribute much to the narrative, and I tired of the reminders that the Violence was the SECOND pandemic to sweep the world in five years like...immediately. Definitely fuck both those things - I don't want to be lumped in with the people in here who are complaining about being harassed for their political beliefs, because I likely share none of them - but to me it just read as too much depressing realism in a book that's already filled to the brim with depressing realism.
Still, I get the impression that this book was personally very powerful for the author to write, and so I don't have the heart to actually dislike it. Once you get past the extremely explicit abuse, which is tossed at you all at once within the first ten or so chapters, the story morphs into a rather heartwarming tale of empowerment, overcoming abuse, and working past generational trauma. Patricia and Brooklyn's story was probably the most compelling of the three main storylines, at least in my opinion. The ending is very happy and neat for a story about a(nother) global pandemic and abuse, but I'm willing to look past it if the intention was (as I'd venture to guess) to provide hope for abuse survivors. This book just wasn't for me - generally I'm not looking for hyperrealism in the books I read nowadays - but I can see the appeal for other readers.
As a side note, I could have done without the references to COVID and a certain politician. Ultimately, they don't contribute much to the narrative, and I tired of the reminders that the Violence was the SECOND pandemic to sweep the world in five years like...immediately. Definitely fuck both those things - I don't want to be lumped in with the people in here who are complaining about being harassed for their political beliefs, because I likely share none of them - but to me it just read as too much depressing realism in a book that's already filled to the brim with depressing realism.