Rosemary's Baby is the story of a young couple who move into a new block of flats and make friends with their elderly neighbours. The building has a history of murderers and devil worship, and soon after moving in, there is a suicide (no one seems that bothered, though). Soon, Rosemary falls pregnant and has a real tough time of it.
This book was written in 1967, and inspired the film which was released the next year, and went on to be a classic of the horror genre. It won a lot of praise for now shamed Roman Polanski, and helped build his reputation as a director.
If I didn't know better, I'd be surprised to learn that this book was 50 years old. It didn't read like a book of its age. It felt much more modern, although admittedly not like a book of the last few years but I could have easily believed it was written in the 90's. I was surprised at how funny the book was. At numerous points I let out a giggle, right up to the books big climax. There was a wit that prevailed the whole way through the book, and really made it a much more enjoyable read.
There was a slow start to the book though. Rosemary wasn't even pregnant 100 pages in. And while 100 pages of setting the scene isn't especially long, in a 200 odd page book it felt like it could have gone quicker. Although after finishing the book and looking back, I realise there were a lot of clues in this first bit, so it's not as slow as I thought while reading.
When the action kicks off it does so with a real pace. It builds into an exciting climax and was genuinely frightening. Maybe its because I'm a recent dad, but this book really got to me, and I didn't expect it to.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story was interesting and emotional, and the writing was sharp and funny. There was a slow start but it all makes sense in the end. I would thoroughly recommend this to all fans of darker books. But not fans of babies.
Have you read this book? Do you agree with this review? Let me know in the comments
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