There is no consent under capitalism
Docile is a science fiction parable about love and sex, wealth and debt, abuse and power, a challenging tour de force that at turns seduces and startles.
To be a Docile is to be kept, body and soul, for the uses of the owner of your contract. To be a Docile is to forget, to disappear, to hide inside your body from the horrors of your service. To be a Docile is to sell yourself to pay your parents' debts and buy your children's future.
Elisha Wilder’s family has been ruined by debt, handed down to them from previous generations. His mother never recovered from the Dociline she took during her term as a Docile, so when Elisha decides to try and erase the family’s debt himself, he swears he will never take the drug that took his mother from him. Too bad his contract has been purchased by Alexander Bishop III, whose ultra-rich family is the brains (and money) behind Dociline and the entire Office of Debt Resolution. When Elisha refuses Dociline, Alex refuses to believe that his family’s crowning achievement could have any negative side effects—and is determined to turn Elisha into the perfect Docile without it.
I can't say I've ever considered myself a science fiction reader, yet after reading this book, I might have to.
This is a phenomenal book, and it has a lot to say about classism, debt, capitalism, consent, power dynamics, and slavery. It goes into so much depth about these topics that are meant to disgust you in a way that you have to feel disgusted.
I was constantly on the edge of my seat, heart clenched with such pain for these characters. You learn to love Elisha very early on, and you are forced to watch him change, and it is meant to hurt you. I feel very strongly about everything, so maybe this is just me, but I was holding back tears at parts of this book.
I usually don't read books with a lot of sex because I am sex repulsed, but I still sat through the sex scenes in this book because they are so important. Objectively, this book would fail to mean anything without the sex scenes, whereas I usually believe books with this much sex to mean nothing due to the sex.
I'm writing this review immediately after finishing the boom, which I don't usually do, but my chest hurts with how strongly I feel for this book, and I need it to go somewhere.
This book is painful and it's supposed to be and I think that's my favorite part.
Before you read this book, be aware of these following content warnings!!! Sexual assault, rape, suididal ideation, and suicide attempts!
