Reviewed by Christy
After five years in prison, Patty is
finally being released. She served time for purposefully poisoning her daughter
Rose Gold and making her sick until she was a malnourished teenager with hair
loss and rotten teeth. Though Patty maintains her innocence, she’s looking
forward to making amends with her daughter and starting fresh. She can forgive Rose
Gold for taking the stand and testifying against her during her trial. Rose
Gold has even graciously agreed to not only pick up Patty on the day she’s
released but to also take her in. For a little while anyway. But Patty is hoping for a long term
arrangement.
Darling Rose Gold is told in
duel perspectives. The narration alternates between Rose Gold in the years
after her mother is convicted and Patty present day. This really worked for the
story because though we get to know Rose Gold in the past, we don’t really know
her or her motivations in the present day. We can only go by what Patty
observes and how she interprets those observations. Being inside Patty’s head
was fascinating. She absolutely loves playing the martyr and self-sacrificing
mother. But when Rose Gold doesn’t respond in a way she likes, we can see
Patty’s mask slip a little bit, and it is unsettling.
Rose Gold, while more sympathetic,
also has her unlikable moments. She desperately wants friends and a family and
to not be taken advantage of. But
making connections is harder than she anticipated. When reality doesn’t meet
her expectations, a rage builds inside of her that she doesn’t know how to
control. As these two timelines start to converge, the tension ratchets up.
I’ve seen a couple of books that
have clearly been inspired by the real life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard whose
mother convinced everyone she knew that her daughter was gravely ill, including
Gypsy herself. Wrobel mentions in her afterward how she read about Gypsy’s
story but I really appreciate all the ways she diverged from that inspiration.
This book is a heartbreaking yet easy read that is even darkly funny at times.
I believe this is the author’s first novel, and I’m excited to see where she
goes from here.
**I
received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**
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