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The Hystericals

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The Hystericals

By: Vivek Shraya
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From the bestselling author of I’m Afraid of Men comes a propulsive and chilling novel for the post-#MeToo era, set in an isolationist state where one woman’s death sparks a movement that could liberate women or destroy them all.

When Sarah Munroe is sexually assaulted on her university campus and her attacker walks free, she makes a devastating choice: she publicly takes her own life in a final act of defiance against a regime that has stripped women of their rights.

Her final message ignites a radical movement called #FreeToo. Soon, masses of women are taking up “Sarah’s Call” and “freeing” themselves as extreme acts of protest. As these deaths multiply across the state, the government declares the movement a contagion. Overnight, all women are reclassified as “hystericals.”

Forced into a new reality where her very existence is criminalized, Sarah’s sister, Kennedy, struggles with her own grief, guilt, and anger. And as the regime tightens its grip, she will have to reckon with her sister’s legacy—and decide whether to surrender or survive.
Dystopian Literature & Fiction Satire Science Fiction Women's Fiction
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Critic reviews

“A political allegory with the pace of a thriller, the emotional heft of a family saga, and the blood-chilling ring of a prophecy.”
—Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby

“I am always thrilled to experience work by prolific multidisciplinary storyteller Vivek Shraya, who bravely pays homage to the terrifying history of women using their bodies as sites of protest. The Hystericals is an intriguing page turner of a novel that takes freedom and body autonomy to a new level.”
—Catherine Hernandez, author of Scarborough

“I will read anything Vivek Shraya writes. The Hystericals is a surprising, bingeable, and unapologetic take on our current and future dystopias.”
—Scaachi Koul, author of Sucker Punch

“One of Vivek Shraya’s finest and most powerful literary works to date, The Hystericals dances on a razor’s edge, refusing any temptation towards moral oversimplification and instead embracing complexity at every turn. The result is a novel that is both breathtaking and heartbreaking, one that easily stands alongside some of the best and most daring examples of literary speculative fiction. The Hystericals is an offering from a visionary writer at the height of her powers.”
—Kai Cheng Thom, author of Falling Back In Love With Being Human: Letters to Lost Souls
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