Gold Rush: How Little is the (Female) Experience?

- a novel by Olivia Petter.

To start it right off the bat- I have pretty mixed feelings about this book, one I didn't realise I had until I wrote my first line of praise and erasing it. Though, I think there were underlying emotions of it as I was reading the book that escaped any form of comprehension because... well, the books not bad. It really isn't. It's actually a perfectly paced story, a fun and light read. But the thing is, I don't think it was meant to be so, maybe only to an extent? The theme and depth of the story and character gets lost in what reads like a watt-pad fan fiction. Perhaps I went into the book with much expectation and wanting substance.

Rose, a twenty-something woman who seemingly has everything going for her. Working for one of the most powerful news outlets in the country, Rose spends her days doing PR for glossy magazines. There are tedious spreadsheets, fashion divas, and many A-list parties. It’s at one of those parties where she meets Milo Jax, the world-famous, globally adored, British pop sensation. An unlikely flirtation turns into an even more unlikely evening and then Rose wakes up, unable to piece it all together. What happens next changes everything. She feels something might have happened. But did it really, just because she suspects so?

Now. The things I like and still do about the book (behind the 'sad-girl' cliche and over-fanfictiony way of storytelling) - consent and universality. You like someone, but you're not quite ready for certain things BUT you do like the person; you're right there with them as their hands, and/or more, freely roams about; you're hesitant and slightly uncomfortable; but you're interested so are you, were you, really unwilling; can that person really be doing anything wrong? There's a commonly imagined space of 'grey area' when it comes to sexual, or perhaps any type of, assault .... when really, there isn't. There really should not be any stigma (especially self-imposed, influenced by people around) to accepting and admitting assault from strangers, friends or lovers alike.

Petter exacts out such complex doubts in a person in the process of responding to and admitting that they have indeed been taken advantage of, regardless of any initial 'active participatory role', which is where most doubts take root. Gold Rush perfectly captures a moment and mood that will resonate with so many women.

As much as I would love to leave the blog on the highs of the book, kindly remain buckle up for a little more of what didn't quite do it for me. The ending was a bit too triumphant and random compared to the steady descent into madness we were following up until the last chapter, and some of the characters and subplots felt completely inconsequential to the main story. Some points were so relatable, but there was still this distance between myself and Rose that I wasn't quite willing to bridge. Basically, I thought this could have been a much sharper take on the lengths we will go to protect strangers (celebrities) from the unsavory realities of the people closest to us - the elements were there but were left half-baked or abandoned by the end of the book.