Vox by Christina Dalcher

[endofthelinefinally]

Just started reading this. Thought provoking and topical.
Anybody else read it?

I couldn't get into it. I fou d the writing style irritating.

With respect to the critical period for language acquisition mentioned by Barbara Strozzi, yes, I am aware of this. But there is strong evidence (look at the emergence of structure-rich creoles in children of pidgin-speaking parents, the development of Nicaraguan Sign Language, or Lightfoot's work on cuing new grammars) that peer influence may carry more weight than parental influence. Since the boys in VOX's world are regularly exposed to language outside the home during a rather wide use-it-or-lose-it window, we might expect them to acquire language normally.
As always, thanks for the engaging discussion comments!
Christina Dalcher

Wow! Thanks for coming on the thread, Christina.

And those points about pidgin and language rich creoles are very interesting.

Have you got any more novels in the pipeline?

Hi Barbara,
Book Two (MASTER CLASS in the US / Q in the UK) is due in spring 2020.
www.amazon.com/Master-Class-Christina-Dalcher/dp/0440000831?tag=mumsnetforu03-21
Cheers,
Christina

Sounds like the next one could be interesting too!

I think it might be interesting! I went a little bit darker... :-)

Dark is good - I'll put it on my wish list

Just out of interest, why different titles in the US/UK?

I thought it started off as a think piece and suddenly ended up a thriller. I suspect someone mentioned broadcast rights halfway through her writing it.

I agree that the central idea of muting women falls to bits too early. None of the next generation would be able to speak, the adult women wouldn't be much good as servants, and there are other groups of people - intellectuals, gays, etc - who would more logically require muting but aren't.

The huge gap is the censorship of the past - women's lack of voice in print and history - that just isn't mentioned. If she'd flicked a few mentions in we would have had continuity and depth, not a slightly sci-fi one-off tv special.

Oh God, Christina, I'm terribly sorry. I had no idea you were on here.

I loved your book, but I'm an editor and being picky and an annoyance to all is in the blood. Even on SM.

Sorry. Keep going, please. I will buy your second book the moment it comes out.

By the way, the other book that everyone says ends too fast is A Handful of Dust. Evelyn Waugh did OK for himself.