The Violence: A Novel
How far would you go to be free? Three generations of women forge a new path through an America torn by a mysterious wave of violence in this “chilling [and] dizzyingly effective” (The New York Times Book Review) novel of revenge, liberation, and triumph.
“A compulsively readable fusion of domestic thriller and modern horror.”—Kameron Hurley, author of The Light Brigade
“A novel that defines this era.”—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians
FINALIST FOR THE ITW THRILLER AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times
They call it The Violence: a strange epidemic that causes the infected to experience sudden bursts of animalistic rage, with no provocation and no memory of their crimes. While it tears the nation apart, one woman sees something unlikely in the chaos—an opportunity.
Chelsea Martin has been a prisoner in her own home for too long. Her controlling husband has manipulated her for years, cutting her off from all support. Her narcissistic mother is no help, and her teen daughter is realizing she might be falling into the same trap when her once adoring boyfriend shows a dark side.
But when the Violence erupts, Chelsea creates a plan to liberate herself and her daughters once and for all.
What follows is a shocking and thrilling journey as three generations of women navigate a world in which they are finally empowered to fight back. Somewhere along the journey from her magazine-ready Tampa home to the professional wrestling ring, Chelsea becomes her own liberator, an avatar of revenge and hope, and a new heroine for a new world.
“A compulsively readable fusion of domestic thriller and modern horror.”—Kameron Hurley, author of The Light Brigade
“A novel that defines this era.”—Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians
FINALIST FOR THE ITW THRILLER AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times
They call it The Violence: a strange epidemic that causes the infected to experience sudden bursts of animalistic rage, with no provocation and no memory of their crimes. While it tears the nation apart, one woman sees something unlikely in the chaos—an opportunity.
Chelsea Martin has been a prisoner in her own home for too long. Her controlling husband has manipulated her for years, cutting her off from all support. Her narcissistic mother is no help, and her teen daughter is realizing she might be falling into the same trap when her once adoring boyfriend shows a dark side.
But when the Violence erupts, Chelsea creates a plan to liberate herself and her daughters once and for all.
What follows is a shocking and thrilling journey as three generations of women navigate a world in which they are finally empowered to fight back. Somewhere along the journey from her magazine-ready Tampa home to the professional wrestling ring, Chelsea becomes her own liberator, an avatar of revenge and hope, and a new heroine for a new world.
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Community Reviews
I am not rating this book because, as of today, I am calling it a DNF. I do think in a different mood and headspace I would give it another try, but it got a little overly triggering for me early on and I decided that I just don't want to read it right now.
This book was a ride. It had my anxiety peaked and then would make me laugh out loud. It's packed full of triggers, so I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It was scary, heartwarming, and thoughtful.
When I read the summary of ‘The Violence’, I immediately thought of the movie ‘The Crazies’ and wanted to see what this novel was about! To me, this book is like ‘The Crazies’ meets the modern day pandemic.
The novel follows 3 generations of women (a grandmother, mother, and eldest daughter) who live in Florida and how they all experience domestic violence within their lives on a regular basis. When a virus called the Violence starts to affect people in tropical climates, people begin to “mask up” just like they did during COVID times but that doesn’t seem to help the spread. People who are infected with the Violence go into an unconscious fit or rage and violence and kill whoever is unfortunately right in front of them.
Although this book has domestic violence themes and may not be suited for everyone to read, I think that the story of 3 women trying to fight the Violence in the community and the violence within their homes, making their family a priority above all else, and coming together to ensure everyone’s safety is one helluva story!
Thank you for the ARC!
The novel follows 3 generations of women (a grandmother, mother, and eldest daughter) who live in Florida and how they all experience domestic violence within their lives on a regular basis. When a virus called the Violence starts to affect people in tropical climates, people begin to “mask up” just like they did during COVID times but that doesn’t seem to help the spread. People who are infected with the Violence go into an unconscious fit or rage and violence and kill whoever is unfortunately right in front of them.
Although this book has domestic violence themes and may not be suited for everyone to read, I think that the story of 3 women trying to fight the Violence in the community and the violence within their homes, making their family a priority above all else, and coming together to ensure everyone’s safety is one helluva story!
Thank you for the ARC!
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