The Violators

    The Violators - Vincenzo Bilof  5/5

                                                                 



     I received a copy of The Violators quite a few months ago but I sat on it because I wanted to wait until the release date to review it. I got this in December and knew that it wasn't going to be released for another two months! Officially this is released on the 23rd of February, but I have yet to see any any pre-order info but It'll be there I promise. Once that info becomes available you should hit the pre-order button and this review will explain exactly why you should do that. Trust me, this is a book you want to purchase and forget the Kindle version. The cover alone deserves to be purchased as a paperback.

     The Violators is a novel that destroys everything you've been taught about art, and literature. Bilof's style is at times almost schizophrenic and even nonsensical. This is a book that barely has a plot and its place gives us cliches and violence. The women in The Violators are objectified and they want to be treated that way. Cindy is a whore because she wants to be and Alan is like a lost puppy that seems to just exist to inject a sense of morality into the story. Alan is the weakest character here, and you almost feel sorry for him. Bilof has a knack for artistry and creating a book that is almost a bitter rant against art and even the publishing world. It's a book that doesn't even follow a genre and borrows from a variety of them gleefully. There's nothing that can prepare you for the Violators. No review will some up what this novel is.

     This is a novel that has a multiple amount of meanings and themes. There is a lot here that is shocking and will no doubt offend a lot of readers. The thing to remember is that great books sometimes have to shock and offend because it's important to step out of your comfort zone. Bilof goes places that others probably won't go because they're too afraid of offending their core audience. It's an original anti-novel that dares you to follow along while throwing up a great deal of black humor just to see if you're paying attention. As a fan I would say that The Violators is the best book that Bilof has written. His characters are all cliches of other characters that we've all encountered in other novels and yes, he even breaks the fourth wall which is a big no no.

     As you read The Violators you are thrust into a world that has no rules and nothing is forbidden. You will either identify with Krang, and the other students in the class or you will identify with Alan. It's a book that will make you question everything you have ever read and lays it bare. We are all guilty of takng our books too seriously, but you can't do that with this one. Nothing is safe here and as you read The Violators you too become a member of the class, and that is the scariest part of all.

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