The Yellow Room (2016) is written by Jess Vallance. As a literature major the first thing that I think of when I see this title is “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The title of this novel is clearly a reference. While “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a masterpiece that changed the way doctors treat postpartum depression, this novel will definitely not make a mark on history. That is not to say that it isn’t a good novel, it’s great. But the similarities between the stories is rather superficial as they both have yellow rooms and touch on the topic of madness and depression. I read this novel in two days because I couldn’t put it down. As I am writing this post, it clearly left an impact on me, but it will not leave an impact on society.
The novel tells the story of Anna, a 16-year-old high school student, who lives with her mom who works in the academia and doesn’t pay a lot of attention to her daughter. Anna receives a mysterious letter from her father’s girlfriend, telling her that her father has died and that she wants to meet her. This novel has some really unexpected plot twists and deals with important issues such as family, bullying, abuse, truth, trust, adults and friends place in our lives. The novel starts with a slow pace and is predictable and about halfway through it changes gears. The plot twists become less predictable and the focus of the novel changes.
Anna’s character is a compelling and familiar one. She isn’t shy, but she wants to make everyone around her happy, an impossible mission and also a stupid and dangerous one. Her character is believable and interesting enough to carry the story. The character of her mother however is not believable whatsoever. The changes that she goes through during the novel seem unnatural and forced, they are also unexplained. The mysterious woman is by far the most interesting character in the novel and I wish her character was explored even more. Unfortunately, most of the character resonant as people that perhaps you know in your life. By unfortunately I mean that it would be better for such people not be a part of any society. But it does allow you to relate to the story.
I wouldn’t go as far as calling this novel a light story, it deals with some very painful topics. But, you will probably read it very quickly and enjoy it.
Cover picture is taken from goodreads
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