After fourteen years of domestic abuse, Rose McClendon flees her sadistic police-officer husband, Norman, with only a handful of cash. Settling in a new city, she discovers a strange painting of a woman in a rose-madder gown that serves as a portal into a decaying, mythological landscape. As Norman uses his forensic skills to hunt her down, Rose enters the canvas to retrieve a physical object for the woman inside. The narrative shifts between a gritty thriller of pursuit and a surreal dark fantasy where Rose must trade her humanity for the strength to survive her husband’s violence.
Readers interested in the intersection of urban realism and high fantasy find here a blunt depiction of survival after trauma. The book attracts those who appreciate the use of supernatural metaphors to represent psychological shifts. It provides a detailed study of a predator's mindset alongside the mechanics of rebuilding an independent life. By the end, the reader understands the cost of righteous rage and the permanent marks left by the process of self-defense.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1995
- Language
- EN
Quotes by Stephen King
More →Books are a uniquely portable magic.
On Writing
The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.
The Body
