#51 – Rose Madder

Plot

After surviving fourteen years of hell in a violently abusive marriage, Rosie Daniels finally summons the courage to flee for her life. But leaving her husband, Norman, for a new city and a new start is a very daunting prospect. It’s hard for Rosie not to keep looking over her shoulder, and with good reason—Norman’s a police officer with the instincts of a predator, a force of relentless terror and savagery … a man almost mythic in his monstrosity. He’s very good at finding people, even if he is losing his mind. Rosie’s only hope for salvation may lie in a far more dangerous place, where she must become her own myth and the woman she never knew she could be.

Review

Similar to Dolores Claiborne, Rose Madder discusses spousal abuse – although this particular novel does so with more graphic/vivid detail. It also features the abusive spouse in a much more dramatic fashion.

Had this novel adopted the Dolores Claiborne philosophy of having zero supernatural elements, it would likely be ranked higher. For those supernatural elements in Rose Madder are much more distracting than additive and take away from a solid story with a truly horrific antagonist. King does an excellent job of showing how brutal Norman is and how much Rosie is overwhelmingly scared of him. Unfortunately for Rosie – Norman is a well-respected police officer and uses that skillset wisely to track her down once she fleas.

The bones for a great cat-and-mouse book are here, but then King detours into the paranormal and the book suffers because of it.

Details

Pages: 656

Dates Read: May – June 2021

Quote: “In that instant she knew what it must feel like to cross a river into a foreign country, and then set fire to the bridge behind you, and stand on the riverbank, watching and breathing deeply as your only chance of retreat went up in smoke.”

Best Part: Norman was a genuinely horrible guy, but I got to give him credit for the disguise and his plan of action at the festival. Brilliant.

Hint for #50: The only Stephen King title that features a real professional baseball player.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.