Son of Rosemary
Encyclopedia
Son of Rosemary is a 1997 horror
novel
by Ira Levin
, and is the sequel to Rosemary's Baby
.
Andy is now 33, the same age as Jesus is said to have been when he died -- he also has twelve assistants and a girlfriend called Judith S. Kharyat
who threatens to reveal his parentage and is spectacularly murdered with thirty silver knives. He is the leader of a charitable foundation with a worldwide influence. Rosemary immediately suspects that Andy's foundation has a demonic purpose, but he reassures her that he has fought his evil side, and is trying to do good work. Supporters wear pins that say "I (heart) Andy" -- in fact, this is the first thing Rosemary sees when she wakes -- and after Rosemary's story becomes known, they begin wearing "I (heart) Rosemary" pins as well. Andy consorts with Republican Party
members and members of the Religious Right
, who want him to endorse a slightly retarded
millionaire for President. Throughout the book, various characters playfully mention the well-known riddle "roast mules", often out of context or à propos of nothing.
The foundation has distributed candles worldwide with the intention that they be lit at midnight on New Year's Eve to help usher in the year 2000. Rosemary gradually comes to suspect that all is not right with the candles, but her concerns fall on deaf ears. In the climax of the book, the candles release a deadly virus which causes people to disintegrate into dust particles. Andy's real father returns for a visit, and takes Rosemary with him to Hell.
After being taken to Hell, Rosemary wakes up in bed with her husband Guy and finds that it is 1965 again. The events of the entire first book and nearly all of the sequel are revealed to have been a vivid dream of Rosemary's. Even the Bramford, the apartment building where Guy and Rosemary lived in the first book, was revealed to be a creation of Rosemary's mind after reading Bram Stoker's book, Dracula
. Rosemary then receives a call from her friend Edward Hutchins (who in the first book was killed to prevent his revealing the coven's existence). He offers her and Guy a rent-free apartment in the Dakota Apartments (the model for the Bramford) for a year. Hutch then makes a comment about "roast mules", and about the candle lighting, causing Rosemary to sense danger. Guy questions why she would want to turn down a chance to live at the Dakota, but Rosemary takes Hutch's remarks seriously as a warning.
puzzle "roast mules". The letters can be rearranged to make a single English word. Levin doesn't give the answer, simply saying that it's a word that most five-year-old children would recognize. The solution is probably somersault
, although it can also spell "soulmaster".
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Ira Levin
Ira Levin
Ira Levin was an American author, dramatist and songwriter.-Professional life:Levin attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa...
, and is the sequel to Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby
Rosemary's Baby is a 1967 best-selling horror novel by Ira Levin, his second published book. Major elements of the story were inspired by the publicity surrounding the Church of Satan of Anton LaVey which had been founded in 1966.-Plot summary:...
.
Plot
The novel begins in November 1999 with Rosemary Woodhouse waking up in a long term care facility after the last member of the coven from the first novel is killed in a car accident. She learns that she has been in a coma since 1973, the result of a spell cast on her by the coven when they discovered that she planned to remove her son Andy from their influence. Rosemary immediately becomes a national sensation after waking up from such a long coma. In her absence, Andy was raised by Minnie and Roman Castevet, the leaders of the coven.Andy is now 33, the same age as Jesus is said to have been when he died -- he also has twelve assistants and a girlfriend called Judith S. Kharyat
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
who threatens to reveal his parentage and is spectacularly murdered with thirty silver knives. He is the leader of a charitable foundation with a worldwide influence. Rosemary immediately suspects that Andy's foundation has a demonic purpose, but he reassures her that he has fought his evil side, and is trying to do good work. Supporters wear pins that say "I (heart) Andy" -- in fact, this is the first thing Rosemary sees when she wakes -- and after Rosemary's story becomes known, they begin wearing "I (heart) Rosemary" pins as well. Andy consorts with Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
members and members of the Religious Right
Religious right
The term religious right may refer to religiously motivated right wing movements such as:*Christian right*Hindu nationalism *Islamism*Jewish right*Theravada...
, who want him to endorse a slightly retarded
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
millionaire for President. Throughout the book, various characters playfully mention the well-known riddle "roast mules", often out of context or à propos of nothing.
The foundation has distributed candles worldwide with the intention that they be lit at midnight on New Year's Eve to help usher in the year 2000. Rosemary gradually comes to suspect that all is not right with the candles, but her concerns fall on deaf ears. In the climax of the book, the candles release a deadly virus which causes people to disintegrate into dust particles. Andy's real father returns for a visit, and takes Rosemary with him to Hell.
After being taken to Hell, Rosemary wakes up in bed with her husband Guy and finds that it is 1965 again. The events of the entire first book and nearly all of the sequel are revealed to have been a vivid dream of Rosemary's. Even the Bramford, the apartment building where Guy and Rosemary lived in the first book, was revealed to be a creation of Rosemary's mind after reading Bram Stoker's book, Dracula
Dracula
Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...
. Rosemary then receives a call from her friend Edward Hutchins (who in the first book was killed to prevent his revealing the coven's existence). He offers her and Guy a rent-free apartment in the Dakota Apartments (the model for the Bramford) for a year. Hutch then makes a comment about "roast mules", and about the candle lighting, causing Rosemary to sense danger. Guy questions why she would want to turn down a chance to live at the Dakota, but Rosemary takes Hutch's remarks seriously as a warning.
The anagram
The book contains the anagramAnagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
puzzle "roast mules". The letters can be rearranged to make a single English word. Levin doesn't give the answer, simply saying that it's a word that most five-year-old children would recognize. The solution is probably somersault
Somersault
A somersault is an acrobatic exercise in which a person does a full 360° flip, moving the feet over the head. A somersault can be performed either forwards, backwards, or sideways and can be executed in the air or on the ground...
, although it can also spell "soulmaster".
External links
- Reilly, John J., "Bloodfest at Tiffany's", review of Son of Rosemary, 1997.