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A review by podanotherjessi
Rose Madder by Stephen King
dark
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Interestingly, my normal complaints for King novels weren't a problem with this one. The language and swearing used felt appropriate, the sex content seemed to fit, and the ending was actually pretty good. The main issue I had was the inclusion of the husband's perspective. In thrillers and horrors, I just don't like hearing the bad guy's thoughts. For one thing, they are super uncomfortable and gross to read, but for the other they take some of the suspense away. I think I would have been more scared if I were as uncertain as Rose was about what he was doing.
The other thing I had an issue with was the racism, homophobia, and fatphobia. The first two mostly came from the villain of the novel, so it's unclear if it was meant to be just a bad thing the bad guy thinks or if the narrative was supporting those ideas. The fatphobia was clearly coming from the narrative itself, not just the villain's perspective.
The other thing I had an issue with was the racism, homophobia, and fatphobia. The first two mostly came from the villain of the novel, so it's unclear if it was meant to be just a bad thing the bad guy thinks or if the narrative was supporting those ideas. The fatphobia was clearly coming from the narrative itself, not just the villain's perspective.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Death, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content