Summer's Reviews > Rouge

One of my favorite authors is back with a phenomenal story that's part Gothic fairy tale and part horror. Just wait until you hear the synopsis on this one:

Even though Belle is estranged from her mother Noelle, they both share an obsession over vanity, and especially skincare. When Belle receives the news that her mother passed away under mysterious circumstances, Belle travels to her mother’s apartment in Southern California. Soon after arriving, Belle discovers a secret, ultra-lavish spa called La Maison de Méduse where she learns that her mother was a member. Belle soon unearths a terrifying secret behind her and her mother’s obsession with the mirror and the sinister abyss that lurks on the other side of the glass.

Sounds amazing, right? Well, let me tell you, it is extraordinary! Reading Rouge is like being inside a surrealist painting. Dreamy, beautiful, terrifying, and full of symbols. As with Mona Awad’s prior works Rouge would be impossible to put into a single genre. Rouge is a blend of literary, horror, magical realism, and even a bit reminiscent of a Grimm’s fairytale.

Rouge explores the complex dynamics of the mother-daughter relationship, our distorted views of ourselves, how toxic our vanity-obsessed culture is, grief, and trauma. Rouge also begs to answer one of life’s greatest mysteries, what exactly is Tom Cruise?
And the ending on this one? Tres magnifique.

Mona Awad brilliantly crafts these unforgettable tales with remarkably flawed and relatable female main characters. It's been a few years since I've read her prior works, Bunny and All’s Well but I still think about them from time to time. Rouge is no different. I'm positive that I will still be thinking about this spell-binding story in the years to come.

Rouge by Mona Awad will be available on September 12. A massive thanks to Marysue Ricci Books/Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for the gifted copy!