Delilah S. Dawson

A mysterious plague that causes random bouts of violence is sweeping the nation. Now three generations of women must navigate their chilling new reality in this moving exploration of identity, cycles of abuse, and hope. Chelsea Martin appears to be the perfect housewife: married to her high school sweetheart, the mother of two daughters, keeper of an immaculate home. But Chelsea's husband has turned their house into a prison; he has been abusing her for years, cutting off her independence, autonomy, and support. She has nowhere to turn, not even to her narcissistic mother, Patricia, who is more concerned with maintaining the appearance of an ideal family than she is with her daughter's actual well-being. And Chelsea is worried that her daughters will be trapped just as she is--then a mysterious illness sweeps the nation. Known as The Violence, this illness causes the infected to experience sudden, explosive bouts of animalistic rage and attack anyone in their path. But for Chelsea, the chaos and confusion the virus causes is an opportunity--and inspires a plan to liberate herself from her abuser.

The Violence

Celine

„Hm. Ich würde sagen, sie empfindet jeden anderen als Gegner. Als Bedrohung. Das passiert, wenn man in der Kindheit nicht genug abbekommt.» Genug wovon?« Er zuckt mit den Schultern. »Genug von dem, was man zu brauchen glaubt. Man kämpft um das, was da ist, verteidigt, was man hat, und betrachtet alle anderen als Feinde. Wenn du ein Hammer bist, sieht alles wie ein Nagel aus. Und wenn du ein hungriger Vogel bist, sieht jedes Stückchen Plastik wie eine Frucht aus, und du wirst bis zum Tod darum kämpfen.«

 »Mein Arzt ist ein Genie. Und Diät-Shakes heutzutage schmecken genau wie Milchshakes. So reichhaltig!« Chelsea spürt, wie ihr Zornesröte den Hals hinauf bis in Wangen und Stirn kriecht. Kurz stellt sie sich vor, wie sie den Finger ihrer Mutter mit beiden Händen packt und bricht, als wäre er ein Stift. Rasend schnell kreisen Worte durch ihren Kopf, von Wozu brauche ich denn Sport, wenn wir doch dieselbe Kleidergröße haben? bis zu Unabhängigkeit ist wichtiger, als so zu tun, als wäre man nur halb so alt, wie man ist -nicht dass du das verstehen könntest oder Wenn ich einen wesentlich älteren Mann mur um des Geldes willen geheiratet hätte, wäre ich vielleicht auch so selbstgefällig. Aber Chelsea weiß, dass es bei den Äußerungen ihrer Mutter niemals wirklich um Chelsea geht. Und wie fast immer in ihrem Leben macht Gegenwehr alles nur nocu schlimmer.

Alexa M

the first part started off SO strong and then i felt really 'meh' about everything else from part 2 on. after part 1 i was pretty much skipping Chelsea's chapters like that wrestling shit was so stupid and boring. i liked the writing and the focus surrounding abused women and was definitely intrigued, but it wasn't anything special to me. i feel like this could have heavily benefited from an extra edit.

Jasmine

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Delilah S. Dawson, and Del Rey Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! 

I am so glad I requested this book! It’s been a while since I’ve torn through a book as quickly as The Violence, and I missed that need to consume considerably. There have been several books that confront Covid, isolation, and abuse lately, but there haven’t been many that connect with its subject matter as concisely as The Violence. 

The character writing in this is incredible! I loved how each character grew in different ways and stayed true to who they were as people. These are the kind of characters that pull you in and make you need to know more about them and their struggles/victories. It’s also important to note that this book could quickly go down the “all men are bad!” path but doesn’t resort to doing so. Sure there are awful people, but there’s so much to be said for being hopeful or for regaining hope. 

The plot is going to pull you in big time. This novel starts strong and doesn’t let up, which is impressive for an almost 500-page book. There are some triggers throughout (domestic abuse, animal death, murder, and a plethora of other things), but it is necessary to convey this story properly. 

I’d recommend this book! It’s a beautiful balance of dark and light if you ask me. 4 stars ✨

Melanie Harvie

This book comes with a trigger warning for animal and domestic abuse. I’m not going to lie, there were parts of this that were very hard to read. However, the overall story was really well done. It portrayed a lot of very real issues that women deal with every day. You feel for the characters and get to see them grow and evolve as the story progresses. If the trigger warning isn’t a deal breaker for you, then I definitely recommend this book.

Rita Williams

 Kylee Smith

Kwan Ann Tan

Katelyn Broad

Three generations of abused women must navigate their chilling new reality as a mysterious epidemic of violence sweeps the nation in this compelling novel of self-discovery, legacy, and hope. When Chelsea Martin kisses her husband hello at the door of their perfect home, a chilled bottle of beer in hand and dinner on the table, she may look like the ideal wife, mother, and homemaker—but in fact she’s following an unwritten rulebook, carefully navigating David’s stormy moods in a desperate nightly bid to avoid catastrophe. If family time doesn’t go exactly the way David wants, bad things happen—to Chelsea, and to the couple’s seventeen-year-old daughter, Ella. Cut off from all support, controlled and manipulated for years, Chelsea has no resources and no one to turn to. Her wealthy, narcissistic mother, Patricia, would rather focus on the dust on her chandelier than acknowledge Chelsea’s bruises. After all, Patricia’s life looks perfect on the surface, too. But the façade crumbles when a mysterious condition overtakes the nation. Known as the Violence, it causes the infected to experience sudden, explosive bursts of animalistic rage and attack anyone in their path. The ensuing chaos brings opportunity for Chelsea—and inspires a plan to liberate herself and her family once and for all.

The Violence

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