The Violence

September 1, 2021

Chelsea wants out of her marriage for the sake of her daughters and for her own sake; her high-school-sweetheart husband is anything but sweet, brutally controlling her every move. Now a terrible virus that prompts inexplicable rages is marauding through the nation, and Chelsea sees it as a means of escape. From the New York Times best-selling author of multiple sf/fantasy titles.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 11, 2021
A very different pandemic sweeps the world in this un-put-downable near-future thriller from Dawson (the Blud series). Coming just on the heels of Covid-19, the Violence is aptly named for its main symptom: sudden acts of astonishing aggression called “storms” that always leave someone dead. Those infected have no memory of their outbursts, and the attacks have no clear trigger. The world navigates this horrible plague with quarantine protocols and hotlines, as the wealthy flock to colder environments, where the Violence hasn’t yet reached, and shell out for the $30,000 vaccine. Meanwhile, Chelsea Martin sees in the Violence a way out from under the thumb of her abusive husband, David, for both herself and her two daughters. She reports David to a hotline for suspected Violence sufferers, but even after he’s locked away, Chelsea’s hounded by his horrible friends. Then Chelsea is separated from her girls under suspicion of being infected herself. Now, she’ll do anything to reunite with her family. Dawson doesn’t hold back in her graphic depictions of domestic abuse, but the violence never feels gratuitous, clarifying the high stakes of this smart, fast-paced thrill ride. Fans of dystopian sci-fi stories will devour this. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary.

December 1, 2021

In a post-COVID world, two other pandemics form the basis of this searing, reality-based dystopia: the plague of pervasive, enculturated violence against women, and the titular condition, which causes its victims to enter a fugue state, fatally attacking anyone around them without warning or compunction. For everyone else, it's another reason for quarantines and debates about who can afford the expensive vaccine. For Chelsea Martin, it's an opportunity for her and her two daughters to escape her abusive husband: claim David got the Violence and have him sent away. But once her plan falls apart, she hits the road, meeting up with a memorable cast of supporting characters, and hatches a plan to get her girls back and end the cycle of abuse for good. VERDICT The early pages of this book from veteran novelist Dawson (author of several novels under the Star Wars franchise) feature several graphic scenes of emotional and physical abuse that might lose it some readers, but what's left is a propulsive redemption story with a determined woman at its center.--Michael Pucci, South Orange P.L., NJ

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2021
It's 2025 and America is still healing from the COVID pandemic as a more terrifying virus emerges--The Violence. Once infected, the sufferer's gaze goes as blank as a zombie's as they violently kill the closest living thing, and then, just as suddenly, snap out of it. Our guides through this dystopian-horror landscape are three generations of women who have lived with violence and trauma their entire lives: the "perfect" housewife Chelsea, her teenage daughter Ella, and her mother Patricia. With a visceral hook, a fast pace, and a story that provides plenty of action while allowing the characters to propel the plot, Dawson delivers both a realistically messy portrayal of everyday violence and a highly unsettling, utterly entertaining tome. Dawson notes that this is a novel by a survivor for survivors, but do not pigeonhole this engrossing and thought-provoking story; like the very best science fiction, she applies a slightly askew lens, challenging readers to take a critical look at our current world. Enthusiastically suggest to readers who enjoyed the table-turning feminism of Naomi Alderman's The Power (2017), the band-of-survivors theme in Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven (2014), and the emotional journey of Victor LaValle's The Changeling (2017).

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