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A review by angethology
Rouge by Mona Awad
3.0
"And if you choose the way of roses, you'll see for yourself."
In a world defined by aesthetics, people have come up with new ways to prolong their youth and beauty. Doing a 10 skincare step routine is the norm for many, but Mirabelle takes it to a whole other level, especially once Mother passes away. Similar to Mona Awad's "Bunny," the writing style is a great part of the character development, plot progression, and pacing; the dreamy tone Mirabelle uses perfectly encapsulates what it's like when you're that obsessed with your beauty, and shows the effects of the sophisticated, bougie societies like Rouge. But overall, it's also a apt representation of how grief operates. It's strange, chaotic, and doesn't always come in the form of the typical depression that you'd imagine.
Mirabelle and her Mother's relationship has always seemed to be a bit strained, with Mother being so consumed by how she's perceived and her porcelain doll-like beauty. While she does appear to care for her daughter, the obsession with her appearance is an attempt to fill a certain void. This emptiness is transferred to Mirabelle, even more so with Mother's passing, almost morphing into one being as a result: "Now normally, if your face was on fire, you'd scream like a witch, wouldn't you? Not me and Mother. We smile while our faces burn, we love it so. Because we know magic is happening, just like a fairy tale. Transformational." While Mirabelle's infatuation with treatments and skincare are toxically passed down from Mother, it's also a way for her to create the bond and validation she had never gotten. As her mind rids herself of her dark past and trauma, replaced with head-turning and envy inducing beauty, she becomes a shell of her former self. A shiny, dreamy and pearlescent shell, but with the host barely being present: "My face defying how many natural laws. That Glow, a most heavenly Glow. I'm mesmerized. If only Mother could see."
In theory, I love the entire premise. As a skincare enthusiast myself and knowing how going down the beauty rabbit hole can go overboard, to see this being hyperbolized, entangled with grief, with Mona Awad's gorgeous prose is mesmerizing, and the book does really immerse you into this toxic world of aesthetics. A slow-burn is fitting for this kind of register. However, my main gripe that it gets annoyingly repetitive (more so than Bunny) to the point where a lot of the stylistic choices used are a bit tedious, and just creates this stagnancy. I personally thought that all the constant questioning, like "wouldn't she / isn't it / don't you see?" was way too overbearing, especially if there are multiple questions that take up the entire page and take you out of that immersion, even though I do understand the intentions behind it. I do, however, appreciate techniques such as the word slips(e.g. Mirabelle saying sever instead of serve), as it shows the amnesia she succumbs to as she approaches the Depths. The ending is pretty satisfactory, and while I love the descriptions and the glamour of every sentence, "Bunny" just has way more to offer compared to "Rouge."
In a world defined by aesthetics, people have come up with new ways to prolong their youth and beauty. Doing a 10 skincare step routine is the norm for many, but Mirabelle takes it to a whole other level, especially once Mother passes away. Similar to Mona Awad's "Bunny," the writing style is a great part of the character development, plot progression, and pacing; the dreamy tone Mirabelle uses perfectly encapsulates what it's like when you're that obsessed with your beauty, and shows the effects of the sophisticated, bougie societies like Rouge. But overall, it's also a apt representation of how grief operates. It's strange, chaotic, and doesn't always come in the form of the typical depression that you'd imagine.
Mirabelle and her Mother's relationship has always seemed to be a bit strained, with Mother being so consumed by how she's perceived and her porcelain doll-like beauty. While she does appear to care for her daughter, the obsession with her appearance is an attempt to fill a certain void. This emptiness is transferred to Mirabelle, even more so with Mother's passing, almost morphing into one being as a result: "Now normally, if your face was on fire, you'd scream like a witch, wouldn't you? Not me and Mother. We smile while our faces burn, we love it so. Because we know magic is happening, just like a fairy tale. Transformational." While Mirabelle's infatuation with treatments and skincare are toxically passed down from Mother, it's also a way for her to create the bond and validation she had never gotten. As her mind rids herself of her dark past and trauma, replaced with head-turning and envy inducing beauty, she becomes a shell of her former self. A shiny, dreamy and pearlescent shell, but with the host barely being present: "My face defying how many natural laws. That Glow, a most heavenly Glow. I'm mesmerized. If only Mother could see."
In theory, I love the entire premise. As a skincare enthusiast myself and knowing how going down the beauty rabbit hole can go overboard, to see this being hyperbolized, entangled with grief, with Mona Awad's gorgeous prose is mesmerizing, and the book does really immerse you into this toxic world of aesthetics. A slow-burn is fitting for this kind of register. However, my main gripe that it gets annoyingly repetitive (more so than Bunny) to the point where a lot of the stylistic choices used are a bit tedious, and just creates this stagnancy. I personally thought that all the constant questioning, like "wouldn't she / isn't it / don't you see?" was way too overbearing, especially if there are multiple questions that take up the entire page and take you out of that immersion, even though I do understand the intentions behind it. I do, however, appreciate techniques such as the word slips(e.g. Mirabelle saying sever instead of serve), as it shows the amnesia she succumbs to as she approaches the Depths. The ending is pretty satisfactory, and while I love the descriptions and the glamour of every sentence, "Bunny" just has way more to offer compared to "Rouge."