Book Review: Rose Madder by Stephen King.

 

So I haven't done a book review in what seems like forever due to the fact I've had to do a lot of other reading for university. But, I've managed to sneak in a bit of my own preferred reading and finished off Rose Madder by Stephen King for about the third or fourth time. Stephen King is my favourite author and his book Misery is one of my most loved books of all time so it's no surprise that another one of my favourites of his is Rose Madder. 

Firstly I must warn you, this book is pretty graphic at times and it isn't for the faint-hearted. Known for his horror, Stephen King's Rose Madder follows the same theme with elements of the supernatural and involves plenty of domestic violence as its heroine Rose Daniels suffers 14 years of violence and abuse from her husband, Norman who is a policeman. She finds the strength to leave him after she spots a one drop of blood on the bedsheets she is changing that came from another brutal violent attack from her husband. She steals a bankcard they both share and boards a bus to her new destination while her husband plans to hunt her down and kill her by using his police skills.

Although it's a very dark novel, it's a great tense game of cat-and-mouse with a relentless pace. The reader is taken in almost instantly as you become heavily involved with Rose's problems. The supernatural aspect of the book doesn't enter until quite late into the book, allowing King to build up the characters, Rose and Norman. Using horrifying imagery and unbelievable graphic details, he sets the tone for what you feel for them both; pure horror for Norman and desperate sympathy for Rose.

It's a book full of suspense, horror and fear. He takes us through how Rose begins to change and take back her identity by first of all, changing her surname back to her maiden name; Rosie McClendon which I thought was so empowering for her that I felt like cheering for her. Not only that, he shows us how cunning, smart and messed up Norman is by telling us his thoughts, plans, words throughout the book. He also introduces a new love in Rosie's life; Bill which creates even more tension because you become terrified of what Norman would do if he ever got his hands on him. I also think the paranormal element of the book wasn't really central to it and I think the novel would've worked just as well without it. But the description of Rosie's 'dream' is so beautiful and well-written that you can actually think up the scenes for yourself as well as the ending.

The only criticism I have is how fast Rosie and Bill fall in love after literally about two weeks. I wouldn't of thought a woman who'd been in an abusive relationship for 14 years would be able to move on and accept a new, fresh bond with someone so quickly. Also, she does tell Bill about EVERYTHING Norman's ever done to her and he seems to accept it without questioning very much which I don't think would be the same in reality. However, I can ignore this because the way Stephen King writes it makes you feel so happy for her and you can bypass the fact it's so quick.

However I think it's a great, thrilling book which would be a good read for you for over the Christmas period. It's one of my favourite books and I always recommend it to anyone who needs a riveting read. 

What do you think of it if you've read it too?
Any recommendations for me?

Thankyou for reading.
Laura.