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Wow. Huh. I waited for this book for years, finished it in about a day, and now I'm unsure what to say about it.
I guess first: Does this live up to volume 1? Not quite, but I think it might be unfair to ask it to do so. Volume 1 is an undeniable masterpiece. It's transcendent. To me, it seems like a work of luck and magic that it even exists.
Second: Does Volume 2 answer big questions from Volume 1? Some of them, kinda? But anything resembling an answer leads to more questions. There's a sense of unreliability throughout the text--Karen frequently tells us that she'll "tell more about that later" and then never does--and a lot happening off the page. Sometimes that's really effective, sometimes less so.
There are elements of Volume 2 that feel underbaked to me, particularly Karen's friendships. But when Ferris digs deeper into the setting and cast of characters populating the criminal underworld surrounding Karen, that's when I think this book shines.
As with Volume 1, I was left with a pervasive feeling of "what the fuck was that?" after the final sequence. I guess I'll settle in to wait--hopefully for fewer than what, seven years?--for more.
I guess first: Does this live up to volume 1? Not quite, but I think it might be unfair to ask it to do so. Volume 1 is an undeniable masterpiece. It's transcendent. To me, it seems like a work of luck and magic that it even exists.
Second: Does Volume 2 answer big questions from Volume 1? Some of them, kinda? But anything resembling an answer leads to more questions. There's a sense of unreliability throughout the text--Karen frequently tells us that she'll "tell more about that later" and then never does--and a lot happening off the page. Sometimes that's really effective, sometimes less so.
There are elements of Volume 2 that feel underbaked to me, particularly Karen's friendships. But when Ferris digs deeper into the setting and cast of characters populating the criminal underworld surrounding Karen, that's when I think this book shines.
As with Volume 1, I was left with a pervasive feeling of "what the fuck was that?" after the final sequence. I guess I'll settle in to wait--hopefully for fewer than what, seven years?--for more.
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I had seen the movie adaptation of Rosemary's Baby but never read the book, so I decided to change that this spooky season. Hot take that a universally-recognized horror classic is good, but this is really, really good. Levin uses third person limited so well here, letting us experience the book along with Rosemary. Knowing the big reveal doesn't diminish how creepy this book is--if anything, it made it even scarier, Guy's machinations and the network of manipulation that he sets into motion even more insidious.
Because let's be frank: the scariest thing about this book isn't the Satanic cult trying to conceive the son of Satan, it's the idea of being married to someone--thinking that you know him and that he loves you and has your best interests at heart--only to discover that no, he views you as a pawn and has no qualms about stripping you of your bodily autonomy and agency.
Excellent book. Terrifying post-Roe, US election season reading. (My options are cry or read horror, so I'm reading horror. And voting.)
Because let's be frank: the scariest thing about this book isn't the Satanic cult trying to conceive the son of Satan, it's the idea of being married to someone--thinking that you know him and that he loves you and has your best interests at heart--only to discover that no, he views you as a pawn and has no qualms about stripping you of your bodily autonomy and agency.
Excellent book. Terrifying post-Roe, US election season reading. (My options are cry or read horror, so I'm reading horror. And voting.)