Mona Awad's Rouge (2023) tells the story of Belle, a young woman who has spent much of her life obsessed with maintaining her skincare routine. However, that all changes when Noelle, her estranged mother, dies. As her mother's only living heir, she is forced to return to Southern California and deal with her mother's estate, death, and substantial debts. While she is there, though, she comes face-to-face with a strange woman who dresses all in red. The woman gives Belle a glimpse into her mother's life and why she died; she also invites Belle to join her at La Maison de Méduse, which is the cult-like spa her mother went to often. Belle visits the club and learns of her mother's obsession with something called the "mirror," which captures her attention too. Ultimately, as she descends deeper into the world of La Maison de Méduse, she learns who her mother truly is—and why she died.
When Rouge was published in 2023, it received mostly positive reviews. While Publisher's Weekly loved the novel, writing that "The author's acerbic wit radiates in this excoriating story of beauty's ugly side," The Guardian offered a less positive review. They called it an "intricate, sometimes funny novel" but said that "the protagonist's contemptuous voice becomes tiresome."
