Violence

Across the country, a mysterious contagion called The Violence is triggering sudden, explosive fits of rage, leaving the infected to attack anyone nearby. Against this backdrop, the novel follows three generations of women as they face a world turned upside down and the troubles within their own family.

Chelsea Martin seems to have the life she was meant to have: a husband she met in high school, two daughters, and a spotless house. Behind that polished surface, her husband has turned the home into a prison. For years he has abused her, stripping away her freedom, her self-determination, and her access to help. Chelsea has nowhere to turn, least of all to her mother, Patricia, a narcissist who cares more about keeping up the image of an ideal family than about her daughter's well-being. Chelsea's greatest fear is that her daughters will end up trapped in the same way.

When the illness spreads, Chelsea sees the chaos and confusion as an opening, and she begins to plan her escape from her abuser. The book explores identity, the way abuse can repeat across generations, and the possibility of hope.