Vladimir

by Julia May Jonas

Publisher: Avid Reader Press, a division of Simon & Schuster
Ginasbookreport Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Literature / Fiction
Read This If You Love: Fiction with depth 

“It felt like both life and beyond life.” 

Where to start?!? Vladimir has been referred to as controversial, subversive, and provocative. I found it to be a novel of great depth with thoughtful (yes, controversial) fictional discussion of agency versus power and manipulation. If you come to this book looking for a contemporary romance, it is not the right book for you. If you are looking for a sophisticated and well written debut novel that is thought provoking, grab a copy of Vladimir now.

Our narrator is a 50-something English professor at an upstate New York college. Her husband has been accused of having sexually inappropriate involvement with many of his former students. No surprise to his wife, as they’ve long had an open marriage. But, just because she is okay with it, does that make it consensual? Maybe in her eyes, but not in the larger world’s. Where does female agency begin when coming up against the dynamic of power? The current generation of women students are changing the world and baring their feelings. Doesn’t that make them more successful than the generations that came before and, if so, why do older generations call them weak? Shouldn’t she be able to exercise her own power over her life and—just maybe—that should include the new junior professor on campus…Vladimir.

From my synopsis, you can start to see why readers find this novel to be packed full of discussion topics. It pulls back and lays bare the different ways in which women who speak up are viewed and judged. It also tackles affairs, open relationships, the patriarchy, power raping, agency, and so much more. It is a book that very much pays homage to the books it literally and figuratively references (Lolita, The Scarlet Letter, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover). I wouldn’t be surprised if Vladimir gets added to college courses geared at studying how fiction tackles modern day topics and generational growth and change. Plus, the last 80 pages truly surprised me with the twists. Mystery novels that strive to unveil moments don’t achieve nearly as much as May Jonas does.

It’s not all deep thinking, though. Our narrator is quick witted, funny, and willing to do and say things that most would never venture to do in real life. This leads to some moments of levity that are pretty humorous (I will never think of this novel and not remember the straw in the butt crack).