Rouge by Mona Awad

From the critically acclaimed author of Bunny comes a horror-tinted, gothic fairy tale about a lonely dress shop clerk whose mother’s unexpected death sends her down a treacherous path in pursuit of youth and beauty. Can she escape her mother’s fate—and find a connection that is more than skin deep?

For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse , the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.

Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, Rouge holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.

Published by Simon & Schuster
on September 12, 2023

Review:

I have never read a book by this author, though I have a copy of Bunny, and I’ve heard a lot of good things about it. Everyone seemed to love it and were chomping at the bit to get a copy of “Rouge,” so naturally, I jumped on the bandwagon. When I saw it was a pick for Aardvark’s book box in October, I snagged a copy, and here we are. I finished reading it a couple of weeks ago, and I am still sitting here wondering WTF I read (and I don’t mean that in a bad way). This is a beautifully written but very bizarre novel that takes on the beauty industry and our society’s obsession with eternal youth.

The story revolves around Mirabelle – aka Belle – a dress shop clerk with a deep-seated fixation on her skin and skincare videos. Belle is part Egyptian and has a darker complexion. Growing up, she watched her white, French mother obsess over her looks and her skin and secretly felt as though she was an outsider because of her darker complexion.

When her estranged mother, Noelle, unexpectedly passes away, Belle finds herself thrust back into her troubled past. Dealing with her mother’s debts and haunted by unanswered questions surrounding her death, Belle’s world is further shaken when a mysterious woman dressed in red appears at the funeral, offering a clue about what really happened to Noelle. Intrigued, Belle is drawn into the enigmatic world of a luxurious spa that her mother was a member of.

As Belle becomes more transfixed with the exclusive (and somewhat cultish) spa, she begins to lose pieces of her memory. Words get jumbled, names become lost, and soon all Belle can think about is her next spa treatment – but how far can she go before she completely loses herself or – like her mother – her life? The journey is a blend of fairy tales and horror, wrapped in a dark and surreal atmosphere.

One of the most striking aspects of Rouge is Awad’s writing style. She weaves vivid descriptions, painting a rich and atmospheric backdrop for the story. Her words have a hypnotic quality, drawing the reader deeper into the twisted world she has created. I found myself completely immersed in Belle’s journey, even though I kept asking myself what the hell was going on. This is a weird one, but it’s also really well-written.

Awad’s exploration of the beauty industry and our societal obsession with appearance is extremely thought-provoking. She crafts a narrative that serves as a scathing critique of the cult-like nature of the beauty industry, highlighting the danger of internalizing and obsessing over its standards. Through her characters, Awad forces readers to confront their own attitudes towards beauty and aging, causing us to question whether our desperate pursuit of youth is truly worth sacrificing our happiness and individuality.

At its core, Rouge is a story about the deep longing we all possess, be it the longing for connection and acceptance or the longing to feel worthy and beautiful – sometimes all of the above. Awad skillfully peels back the layers of her characters, revealing their fears, insecurities, and unfulfilled desires. The novel serves as a reminder that there is more to life than mere appearances and that true happiness can only be found by embracing our authentic selves.

I say this while also admitting that I may or may not have read the book while sitting under my LED mask after applying my hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, collagen peptides, and retinol serums to my face.

As I mentioned earlier, this is a weird one, but it’s also one that you can’t look away from. With its dark and surreal atmosphere, compelling characters, and twisty, unexpected storyline, it is a book that will stay with me for a while. I liked it well enough; I just don’t know that I can say that I loved it. It definitely sucked me in, but I don’t see myself wanting to read it again. That said, I do feel like this is one that you should experience because, love it or hate it, it is certainly a book you won’t soon forget.