In the Hands of Men

A Novel

By: Gin Sexsmith

Narrated by: Devery Jacobs

This title contains mature themes, including sexual violence. Listener discretion is advised.

Haunted by the loss of her cousin, Delilah has curated a world of revenge—playing judge, jury and executioner while, you know, searching for love.

Maybe murdering gives her the control she craves. Maybe it fills the gaping hole that Cedar left when she disappeared. Maybe this rage is ancestral, dating back to all of the Indigenous women before her whose cases were closed without much of a search.

She’s never been close to getting caught, but as a virus ripples through the world, devolving men into animals, she gets a little sloppy. Now she must ask herself, is she a monster too, or is she simply taking her power back from the hands of men?

©2023 Gin Sexsmith (P)2024 Audible, Inc.

Story within an essay

While this is a valid style, including so much essay and opinion in a fiction story is not a style I like. There are murders and a sci fi in this book and it still feels more like an opinion essay than fiction. Some of the main points are not really explored but just used to lightly frame an essay about sexual violence. It is a good essay and an important subject and I am not sure this is the best way to discuss it.

slow

didn't hold my attention. I really wanted to like it UT it felt like the story wasn't building up to anything. I gave up 5 hrs in.

Excited about the concept, disappointed in the execution

As a feminist, I was looking forward to this listen and even pre-ordered it. I couldn't finish and ended up returning it because of the author's insistence on using the term "cis het". The wedging in of gender ideology completely negates the subject matter; ALL KINDS OF MALE PEOPLE commit murders and rapes, it's not somehow limited to straight men, athletic men, or men who prefer trousers. Even in a speculative fiction novel, viruses don't infect based on personal feelings. A virus can't tell if a man likes dresses or not. Male human beings do not change into female ones just because they have sex with other men or put on makeup. That's what makes them so dangerous; it's impossible to tell which ones are good.

Aside from that, the book was slow and heavy; I tried listening to it sped up and still couldn't get into it.

Somewhat sexist, and racist

Being a cis white male, the premise of the story came off as somewhat sexist, and racist. I can appreciate that this story gives a voice to victims of sexual assault, and is thought provoking of the dysfunctional way some men and women interact. But the story felt judgmental of my demographic.

A MUST listen for this book

Wow.

I tried to physically read this book and it was too difficult. Very slow and not captivating enough. I really wanted to give it a try and downloaded the audio book.

HOLY CRAP, BATMAN. What a difference. The level of voice Devery delivers in her performance is top notch.

The overall tone of the book is sad, depressing and so very, very relatable.

My only trigger whe reading/watching things is SA, and this book had a lot of it. I wasn't sure how I'd do with it, so I paused a lot, cried a lot, and STILL went back for a second listen when I was done.

Delilah is the most simple, complex character I've had the privilege to understand in a long time. Her journey is not linear, and it travels to days past and present. She grows, but at the same time remains stagnant in my opinion. There are twists, unexpected turns, and a very unfortunate direct correlation to current times.. If you dont resonate with this story, how Delilah feels, and the things that happen to her, congratulations! You might be the 1 out of 8 women who never have or possibly you're a man. This book is powerful in bringing to life many feelings we share and sometimes keep buried. I do recommend this book to males and females alike, to better understand how a lot of women may feel in the world. If you can, download the Audio book over the physical one-- we'll worth it.