Book description
Docile Review
K.M. Szpara's debut novel hits like a sedative-laced punch to the gut-beautiful, devastating, and impossible to shake off.
The story follows Elisha Wilder, whose family debt has become a generational curse. In this near-future world, the Office of Debt Resolution offers a twisted solution: sell yourself as a Docile, taking Dociline to erase your memories and resistance while serving your contract owner. Elisha's mother never returned the same after her term, disappearing into the drug's manufactured bliss. Determined to protect himself, Elisha enters his contract swearing never to take the drug.
What unfolds is a masterful exploration of power dynamics when Alexander Bishop III purchases Elisha's contract. The Bishops created Dociline-they represent everything the system stands for. Alex, however, becomes obsessed with breaking Elisha without the chemical aid that makes other Dociles compliant. This isn't just about debt; it's about who gets to define consent when survival itself becomes transactional.
Szpara weaves together themes of capitalism, queer identity, and bodily autonomy with startling precision. The audiobook format particularly shines in conveying the psychological intimacy between characters, making every moment of manipulation and resistance feel viscerally real. The narrator captures Elisha's growing desperation and Alex's increasingly possessive fascination with remarkable nuance.
This is science fiction at its most provocative-using speculative elements not to escape our world, but to hold up a mirror to its ugliest truths. Szpara doesn't offer easy answers about love, power, or survival under capitalism. Instead, he crafts something far more challenging: a story that forces us to confront how economic systems shape our most intimate relationships.
"Docile" earns its description as "really gay" while being so much more-a sharp critique wrapped in an emotionally devastating love story.
QuestWeaver
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Prometheus
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CuriousCrafter
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Mud Eye
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Kill Switch
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Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience