Review: 'What Red Was' by Rosie Price
Pub. Date: 5/9/2019
Publisher: Harvill Secker
‘Kate Quaile,’ he said. ‘I like your name.’
Kate frowned. ‘How do you know my name?’Throughout their four years at university, Kate and Max are inseparable. For him, she breaks her solitude; for her, he leaves his busy circles behind. But loving Max means knowing his family, the wealthy Rippons, all generosity, social ease and quiet repression. Theirs is not Kate’s world. At their London home, just after graduation, her life is shattered apart in a bedroom while a party goes on downstairs.
What Red Was explores the effects of trauma on mind and body, the tyrannies of memory, the sacrifices involved in staying silent, the courage of a young woman in speaking out. And when Kate does, this question: whose story is it now?
How do you write a novel about sexual assault and rape? Is there a right way of going about it or is that, in and of itself, restrictive? A horrifying act shouldn't be whitewashed or made more appealing, but on the other hand it can also be a triggering and potentially exploitative subject if not treated with care. When I first read What Red Was I found myself amazed by the care Rosie Price took in telling Kate's story and the gentle care with which she treated her. There is no glamorization of violence, no forced reveals or untimely assumptions. Instead there is mostly just Kate and the questions that now surround her. Who do you tell? And how? What will it mean once your story is out there? It is heart-aching to read, even though Price makes sure not to trivialize or exploit any aspects of the assault, and although at times the book is a little unfocused it is a very valuable reading experience.
What Red Was begins almost idyllically with a friendship struck up at university that becomes life-changing. Coming from a working-class, single-parent household, Kate is both in awe and hesitant of Max's flashy lifestyle and artistic parents, but they become solid friends who manage to avoid the whole 'will they/won't they' dynamic. But when Kate is assaulted at a party, things begin to change and to fracture. Holding her hurt and pain close to her chest, life continues on around Kate while she slowly falls apart. Price doesn't just follow Kate's narration. We also get chapters from Max and his wider family, among whom his mother Zara, and his cousin Lewis. While at times this felt very odd, taking away from Kate's ability to tell her own story, it did broaden the world within which she lived. No (wo)man is an island and how others see us, see the world, impacts how we live and what choices we (can) make. I didn't always appreciate how Kate's story was sidelined for what felt, at least a little, like an accumulation of Rich White People Problems, it did flesh out the side characters a little more.
What Red Was is a lingering book. Some might say not a whole lot happens, plot-wise, and yet it's impossible to argue that the novel doesn't address a whole subset of themes. It is a contemplative novel, one that takes its time to unravel ideas. Considering What Red Was is a debut novel, Price does very well at setting up various themes and adding social criticism. Although it doesn't always succeed in carrying its points to a conclusion, it makes a valuable attempt. One aspect of this is the ending. Price never forces Kate's pain and process in any direction, so an ending to What Red Was was always going to be challenging, but it felt a little too neat. At times the writing also felt a little casual, which works in some circumstances since we are dealing with university students/young adults, but also feels off in some parts. However, I would definitely pick up future books by Rosie Price and think that What Red Was can have a lot to offer for readers, as long as they go into it aware of some of its contents.
I give this book...
What Red Was is an unflinching look at the consequences of sexual assault and the damage it does.
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