Andrea reviews DARLING ROSE GOLD by Stephanie Wrobel, Berkeley Press, 2020.
“Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is a mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care, such as a child, an elderly adult, or a person who has a disability. Because vulnerable people are the victims, MSBP is a form of child abuse or elder abuse.” –as defined by medline.gov
This is a story of “what ifs” and “maybes.” This novel is based on the horrific tale of Dee Dee Blanchard and her daughter, Gypsy Rose. In real life, Gypsy Rose and her boyfriend were convicted and sentenced for murdering her overbearing, abusive mother. Dee Dee, it is said, suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy and had poisoned her daughter for many years before the authorities intervened.
Darling Rose Gold is a different spin. In Wrobel’s book, mother Patty Watts is being released from serving 5 years for aggravated child abuse. She believes her relationship with her daughter will be reconciled because why else would Rose Gold pick her up from jail and allow her to stay in her home? Patty also knows Rose Gold will be delighted when she steps up to be a better grandmother to infant Adam versus the mother she once was.
Instead, Rose Gold has her own agenda. She has own thoughts on how to get revenge on Patty.
Flipping between mother and daughter’s points of view, this is a dark, twisted tale you’ll want to keep reading. You might want to actually reread it because the ending is going to leave your eyes wide and your mouth agape!
I promise!