Rosemary can’t believe her luck when a house in the Bramford becomes available just when she and her husband, Guy Woodhouse, are above to move into a new place. Despite her guardian’s warnings about the ill reputation Bramford has garnered over the years, they get settled in.
Within a few days, Rosemary begins noticing a change in Guy and her neighbours too become oddly invested in the pair.
A short read, perfect for the fall season with Halloween nearing closer, Rosemary’s Baby has been on my horror books TBR for a couple of years.
I was intrigued by the narrative and the glimpse of what seemed like an ordinary couple, so I read the entire book in one sitting.
Ira Levin’s writing is not too descriptive but strikes a balance between that and dialogue so as to propel the story forward. There’s a lot more showing rather than telling, which I like too!
I wouldn’t say this is a “scare the living daylights out of you” kind of horror novel. It has more of a slow-building dread vibe to it.
In all likelihood, you’d have figured out what’s going on at Bramford. And seeing Rosemary trapped just makes you more apprehensive.
There’s sufficient foreshadowing that just about kept my curiosity piqued, but I would’ve preferred for some hints to not have been revealed earlier in the novel as that made the revelation predictable.
Guy Woodhouse is an abhorrible character. There’s a scene wherein he brushes off the idea of marital rape as “being fun”. It is elaborated on, so be mindful of that before you pick up the novel.
Although, I wonder why at least some of these negative traits in Guy weren’t apparent in the beginning. This was probably a plot device to alienate Rosemary further and heighten the impact of her plight.
Lastly, something I picked up on was the religious theme in the book. Guy and Rosemary are portrayed as being agnostic. Was there a reason for pointing that out specifically, and then having them go through a transformation? You can also make out that Rosemary hasn’t lost all faith in divinity as she claims to have. This would make for an interesting discussion point.
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book. Even if the ending wasn’t what I’d hoped for it to be, I’ll definitely pick up the sequel.
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