55 pages 1 hour read

Mona Awad

Rouge: A Novel

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2023

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Before You Read

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Super Short Summary

In Rouge by Mona Awad, Mira Nour, a skincare-obsessed woman, travels from Montreal to California after her mother's mysterious death and becomes entangled with a magical spa her mother frequented, which promises beauty but has sinister consequences. The novel explores how self-esteem, secrets, grief, and childhood experiences shape identity while critiquing the beauty industry. The book includes themes of drowning, mental health struggles, and grief.

Reviews & Readership

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Review Roundup

Mona Awad's Rouge has garnered praise for its lyrical prose and compelling exploration of identity and beauty. Readers appreciate the rich, atmospheric world Awad creates, though some critique it for a slow narrative pace. Overall, it is lauded for its imaginative storytelling and emotional depth, appealing to fans of literary fiction with a gothic twist.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Rouge?

Rouge by Mona Awad captivates readers who relish dark, atmospheric tales blending the surreal with psychological depth. Fans of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath will appreciate its complex characters and eerie, introspective narrative, making it ideal for those drawn to gothic and literary fiction.

RecommendedReading Age

18+years

Book Details

Genre

Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction

Fairy Tale / Folklore

Gothic Literature

Themes

Relationships: Mothers

Relationships: Daughters & Sons

Values/Ideas: Beauty