Isabelle Popp has written all sorts of things, ranging from astrophysics research articles and math tests to crossword puzzles and poetry. These days she's writing romance. When she's not reading or writing, she's probably knitting or scouring used book stores for vintage gothic romance paperbacks. Originally from New York, she's as surprised as anyone that she lives in Bloomington, Indiana.
This book lives up to its title: it’s violent. Really, really violent! In fact, this book examines violence from a variety of angles. There’s generational trauma, intimate partner violence, systemic violence, violence as entertainment, and indiscriminate murder. That last kind sets the book in motion.
The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson
The Violence is set in a post-Covid 2025, when a new pandemic has arisen. People with this disease–dubbed the Violence–have “storms,” during which they black out and become murderously violent. Typically, the storms only stop once the nearest person to the infected is dead, often beaten to death by the closest object.
The book does not shy away from how brutal these murders are. In one case, an animal rather than a person is in the path of the Violence. I know that will be a hard line many are not willing to cross. But if you can, you will be treated to a book that is honestly one of the most hopeful and wholesome books I’ve read in ages.
Our story focuses on three generations of women in a family that is very Gilmore Girls-coded. First, there’s Patricia, the rich and snooty grandmother who looks down her nose at everyone else’s life choices. Her daughter Chelsea is already well acquainted with looming threats of violence because she lives with an abusive husband. Ella is Chelsea’s parentified daughter, often responsible for keeping her little sister Brooklyn safe.
I want to reveal the plot as little as possible because it goes in marvelous directions you probably won’t anticipate. But the book alternates between the points of view of these three women, who get separated quite early in the story. Each character has to undergo a massive personal transformation to survive this pandemic that has upended society.
It’s rare for me to be equally invested in each character’s perspective when books are structured this way, but The Violence hooked me the whole way through. Patricia, Chelsea, and Ella are so complex and interesting. I love it when an author takes me through a character’s profound changes in a believable way. That was the case here. As character-driven as the book is, it’s also a propulsive read. The way three storylines braid together is both suspenseful and deeply satisfying.
Read This Book
One book recommendation to help you cut through the noise
For those of us living in the United States, violence is in the air we breathe. Dawson captures this and so much more in the book. But the bottom line is: it doesn’t have to be this way. Overcoming violence takes hard work, creativity, collaboration, and commitment to breaking cycles.
Can a pandemic of violence be eliminated with these approaches? Read this book to find out!
English (US) · 