All right, I didn't have anything to read new from Stephen King, so I went back and picked up one of the only books I haven't read from him: Rose Madder.
Rose Madder is essentially a domestic abuse escape story with a little magic and a whole lot of Mr. King's magic thrown in. The reason I never read this thing before is that the concept seemed pretty banal to me. I have to say after getting to know Rosie McClendon and the other folks who cross her path, I began to root for her and really became invested in her plight.
The magic realism, surrealism, and 'art is the gateway to archetypal exploration' part of it was all right, but I found in this regard it was perhaps too crucial to the climax of the story. I wanted Rosie to win because she could. I love Stephen King's writing, his villain was, as usual, psychologically complex, but there just wasn't enough of the story to stretch all that wonderful writing across. I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but I can say this was one of my least favorite Stephen King Novels.
A moving, and literate, story of suspense and recovery. Well worth the read, but maybe not for every Stephen King fan.
About Me
- T.L.Barrett
- I write and live with my beautiful wife, Sandra, and sons (Solstice, Finnegan and Brahms) in a little-big house on a dirt road in a valley in the hills. My secret identity struggles through the grind of teaching high school English to the denizens of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.
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