The Recovery of Rose Gold first caught my attention when it was featured in Richard and Judy’s Spring 2021 list and became a Sunday Times bestseller. It was the debut novel by Stephanie Wrobel and was published in 2020.
The premise sounded really promising. I’ve never read a book about Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy so I was intrigued to see how the story developed.
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases
Plot
Rose Gold lived her life believing she was ill. She thought she needed a feeding tube, surgery and a wheelchair. However, it turns out that her mother was just a really good liar. Her mother, Patty, is sent to jail for the mistreatment of her daughter and she is now finally free. She has served her time and wants to leave the past behind her and make a new start, starting with making amends with her daughter.
Rose Gold, who testified against her mother during the trial, is now a mother to a little boy and agrees to let Patty move in with them. Their relationship seems to finally be on the mend but are things really as they seem? Is Rose Gold the same pliable young girl she once was? And is Patty still keen to settle old scores?
The Recovery of Rose Gold Book Review
This book has such an intriguing premise but I just felt it could have been so much better.
I was hoping for a deeper exploration of Munchausen Syndrom by Proxy and mental health in general but I found it quite disappointing. The characters were one-dimensional and both were cruel and vengeful. There was no nuance or shades of grey, it was all very black and white. This meant the characters were thoroughly unlikeable and hard to sympathise with, despite the trauma the two of them had experienced.
It was quite a slow and laborious read and I certainly didn’t find it fast-paced enough to call it a thriller. I was quite glad when I’d finished it, although the ending also left something to be desired.
It might just be a personal thing, as I just found the whole book so bleak and disturbing. It just wasn’t for me at all.
What to read next
If you enjoyed The Recovery of Rose Gold, you may also want to read You Had It Coming by B.M. Carroll and Believe Me by JP Delaney.