Wedlock

Growing up in a small highway town, Elena Corzo always dreamt of attending university in her country's capital city. After leaving home and finally arriving in the sprawling metropolis however, she becomes overwhelmed by its relentless movement, suffocating population, strange customs and unaffordable prices. Less than a month to go before her classes begin, Elena finds herself trapped in perdition, where she catches the eye of Diego Bustamante. Handsome, successful and protective, he showers her with thoughtful gifts and undivided attention. He is like a prince, dedicated to treating Elena like a princess. But she is unaware of the steep price princesses have to pay for their fairy tales, a price that becomes all too real, and all too frightening, when it is finally revealed. Thrilling and unsettling, Wedlock will make you think twice about the cost of losing yourself and accepting the ring.

An acidic and addictive parable of a toxic marriage. Jonathan R. Rose turns a gritty lens on our quest for the perfect romance, skillfully showing just how insane society can get with its espousal of the long term relationship. -David Massengill, author of Red Swarm and The Skin That Fits.

Wedlock begins innocently enough: a young girl moves to the big city and meets Prince Charming, except in this fairy tale, happily ever after is a deadly illusion. A story about the dangers of patriarchy and blind acceptance of the status quo, Wedlock is claustrophobic, unsettling, and infuriating, in all the best ways. Rose is a master at turning the mundane into a nightmare. Wedlock might be the most "realistic" of his novels but that only makes the escalating terror more devastating. -Alana I. Capria, author of Wrapped in Red and Mother Walked Into the Lake

Jonathan R. Rose's feminist fable slices into the reader with the satirical razor of Angela Carter. The novel takes off like a runaway train: you think you know where it's going but you have to ride it to the end. An enthralling book with serious thought behind it. His dissection of the common masculine conceit that women must be protected is definitive. It's not about protection, it's about control. Rose is spot on in this flawlessly told story. Read it and weep for the sad plight of women, men, and marriage. -James M Wright, author of Rhizome and The Kraken Imaginary.