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Trigger warnings: violence, harm to animals and child loss
This is my second novel of this year and I can’t say that the triggering reads are slowing down. This time around I have received the ebook version of Omniviolence written by the author-duo, Jones Worthington. Alas, Gareth Worthington and Stu Jones. I was told that this book is meant to push buttons and certainly did. Sometimes in the wrong way but for the most part it was a good read. Especially, if I look at the character arc.
Synopsis in M.O.W.
The story starts somewhere in the future in America, Chicago. One of the main characters, Jackson, a young boy who has been bullied on the internet watches from his window as an online ‘avenger’ bombs his bullies’ house with a drone. Next time we meet Jackson he is one of the online nameless cyber-coin-assassins. This and the fact that there is no government of sorts basically sums up how Omniviolence could’ve spread anywhere. The term ‘cancelling’ transforms into a completely new concept. Now if you have enough Gilt/Bit/whatever coin you can hire a nameless cyber-assassin over the internet and end your online or real-life nemesis. A somewhat Mad Max / John Wick style world. Our other main character is Joe Carboni who is an old-fashioned ‘Genial’ (which is a term for Millennials mostly), who is also an assassin but the Italian-mafia type.
Now the book presents that both Joe and Jackson have different views about life and its rules. They are on the separate ends of the spectrum. (I won’t tell which is which. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.) Which could make sense as they have different ages coming from different backgrounds etc… Mostly, both of them are navigating in the safe-zone around the middle, and there will be character development as well. As for the world around them, the authors pushed the edges of the spectrum to the furthest and then they sprinkled it with some ridicule and more violence.
The main aim of the story is that there is a woman called Anja, and her group situated in Switzerland who plans to end Omniviolence with the aid of biology. I won’t say more than that. And we also have another character that was just horrible to read not because of the writing but because of his traits. Full with triggers, which I mentioned at the top. If I left out something I apologise.
Overall
I loved the relationship between Joe and Jackson. The dialogue between them is one of the strongest points of the novel. Even though there is limitless aggression around them they still manage to crack a few jokes here and there which lets the reader breathe for a second.
I don’t necessarily think I was the main audience meant for Omniviolence, I seriously underestimated the amount of action and weapons present in the novel. However, I do strongly believe that there is a specific niche of readers who would love it though. I also missed a little bit of depth and complexity from the villains but Jackson and Joe’s relationship made up for it.
As for politics, ideologies and its extremities; It’s sufficient to say that even though my age would be closer to Joe’s, I relate more to Jackson. But I don’t see it as a problem. I think what the book was trying to convey is that it doesn’t matter which side (if you are at all) you are on, as long as you are not going for the extreme. So I hope we can all take ourselves a bit less seriously and nurture some empathy for others. Live and let Live.
Huge thank you to Gareth Worthington for gifting me an ebook copy of Omniviolence.
Check out the book on the official publisher’s site: Vesuvian books.
Or you can get them at the following links:
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ALL opinions expressed are my own.
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