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.
This is not an easy book to read. Honestly, it should come wrapped in multiple layers of trigger warnings, and an author’s note states the issues this novel deals with (physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and includes animal death and graphic violence) before the story begins. Sadly, some of it is based on the author’s personal experiences.
Three generations of women – Patricia, her daughter Chelsea, and Chelsea’s daughter Ella are all victims of abuse in one form or another. After leaving a previous abusive relationship, Patricia is now in a loveless marriage of convenience to a wealthy man. Chelsea uses makeup to hide bruises and walks a daily tightrope around her husband, afraid of what might happen when he returns from work if something isn’t perfect in their home or he’s had a bad day. Ella takes her five-year-old sister and hides from him – he’s starting to take his rage out on her, and he could turn on her sister at any time. And then The Violence begins and people and pets are killed in brutal, violent ways. Soon after, due to various circumstances the women become separated and are unable to contact each other. As a pet lover, I had to skim several pages in this book – I couldn’t bring myself to read them – but the scenes aren’t for shock value. They convey the atrocities of the plague and what these characters experience.
Maybe you’re wondering why I read this book. I wanted these women to escape, live their best lives (even Patricia, who’s not very likeable at first), and watch their abusers get what they deserved. I felt like I needed to see them through this plague and know they’d be okay. That should tell you something about the outstanding character development. Speaking of Patricia, for me, she had a tremendous character arc and was transformed by the end.
Something I found difficult to buy into was a career decision Chelsea makes – it seemed a little too cheesy and far-fetched, although it works out for her. I came close to calling it quits at that point, but I’m so glad I finished.
The action starts immediately and once I began, I couldn’t shut the Kindle. At over five hundred pages, I read it in two days. Clearly this book isn’t for everyone, but if you decide to take the plunge you’ll find a powerful story about family and survival.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Books and Such 
I’ll pass on this one, but if you read a 500+ page book in two days, I know it had to be engrossing. The subject matter and graphic violence would be too much for me. I’m getting squeamish about that stuff the older I get, LOL.
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I was on the fence about downloading it when the publisher offered the widget, but the reviews convinced me. I figured if I was still watching zombies, this couldn’t be much worse, lol.
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🤣
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks for introducing to this very interesting sounding book, Teri. Wow, 500+ pages! It seems i have to find a very long route for my next tour on public transportation. 😉 Thanks for mentioning the trigger warnings, so i can also better recommend. Best wishes, Michael
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This one might cause you to miss your stop, lol. Thanks so much for sharing, Michael!
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Hey! Sounds great, Teri! Honestly i love to be on the way, but very rare i want to leave the bus, or train. Lol xx Michael
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I read it in two days too. I just had to keep reading but I keep saying that now I am scarred by it. The things that happened were so incredibly horrifying. What a noteworthy book that can make you keep reading while you would normally have stopped and put it aside. Excellent review!
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Thanks, Tessa! It absolutely dealt with horrifying situations, the stuff of nightmares, but kudos to the author for making it so difficult to put down. I had to know what happened to these women.
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Wow, this sounds like quite a read! Great review, Teri. Thanks for sharing your thoughts 💕🙂
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A difficult, tough read, but very worth it, Harmony.
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This sounds like a heavy read, Teri. I would have to be in the right headspace for it. Thanks for sharing!
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You’re right about that, Jan. After I read this one and another heavy one back to back, I dove into a lighter comtemporary book. My brain was relieved!
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Thanks for this mindful review, Teri. The story hits far too close to home, so that makes your review even more important for me.
I thought spring had sprung here, but yesterday we had an all-day wind storm, which also brought back colder temperatures. The dirt still hasn’t cleared from the sky, but at least the wind calmed down. Stay safe and warm. Hugs on the wing!
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Lots of wind here the past couple days also. Warm, but temps are diving back down again for the weekend. Bond sure has enjoyed chasing the leaves across the patio from the screened porch!
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Whew. Sounds a little too much for me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Teri.
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Yep – it’s not a book for everyone, and it’s one you certainly need to distance yourself from while reading.
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Hahaha. Thanks.
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I’m so aware of the vicious cycles of abusive relationships when doing my volunteer counseling, Teri. It’s a miracle for some of the women to break through and move on to a healthier life. It’s complicated. I believe it takes 500 pages to tell the story. Thanks for the review.
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I can’t imagine how difficult that must be, Miriam, but what a wonderful thing you’re doing! These women had tremendous character arcs, and it was rewarding to see how far they came.
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This book sounds really intense, Teri. Your review was intense too. It’s so clear that the characters gripped you. I’m not sure the book is for me, but I am intrigued. I’ll keep an eye on it and maybe… Thanks for the review. Now I need to take a breath!
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That’s how I felt after finishing the book, Diana – I needed to take lots of breaths!
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🙂
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Great review! You definitely have me intrigued now.
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It’s a tough one to take on, and it will stick with you for days, but it’s also a powerful story, Yvonne.
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That’s a long story, but it sounds like it held on for you.
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Honestly, it didn’t feel that long while reading it, Craig, but I barely looked away I was so engrossed.
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This will be hard to read for me. It sounds too intense and provocative for my sensitive soul. Amazing review!
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Parts of it were too difficult for me, also, Yesha. Anything involving children or animals I skim through.
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It’s sad that it’s based on the author’s own experience. This isn’t for me but I’m glad the women survived.
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I can’t even begin to imagine what she went through, Jacquie. No one should ever have to experience anything like that.
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HI Teri, 500 pages is quite a long book for me, I rarely read modern books over 340 pages. It does sound very interesting though so I am thinking about it.
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Sorry I’m so late replying, Robbie! This one moved along so fast it seemed more like a 340 page book – and I finished it quicker than some shorter ones I’ve read, lol.
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