Princess Violet’s life is not a fairy tale, or at least not the sanitized Disney version. As the only daughter of the royal family, she spent a happy childhood, but in fact she was sold to an illegitimate child of the Duke of Blooming family, who would receive a legal title in exchange for the royal family’s huge debt. But Violet’s hopes for marital happiness are dashed, and as soon as Donghua pays off her debts, her brother announces that the royal family will give up the crown and title, depriving her of her husband’s pay. They basically tricked Winter into going bankrupt for them, leaving him with a wife who gave him nothing in return. Winter unceremoniously leaves Violet in his home and begins rebuilding his fortune, leaving her at the mercy of her stepmother. As you can probably guess, this doesn’t go well for Violet.
This is actually where this story earned my respect. Violet’s torture was not the typical physical blows (although there was corporal punishment), but a series of carefully choreographed psychological attacks. The first was to consistently downplay her health problems and pain; doctors steadfastly refused to believe she was sick and in near-constant pain, chalking up her invisible illness to mere “hysteria” or “malingering.” It’s horrifyingly familiar and unbearably true; someone diagnosed with fibromyalgia at age thirteen is often told to “stop being such a girl” by doctors who don’t believe the diagnosis. Violet was gaslighted, harassed, and even prescribed ineffective medication for her real heart condition by a resentful family member who wanted to silence her. Since her husband rarely came home, rumors spread about how she “refused to sleep with him” (she didn’t; he was just never around) and “acted spoiled” by “faking illness.” Its honesty is infuriating.
No wonder the book begins with Violet attempting suicide. She has been living in hell for three years without a single ally, and at this point, she sees no other way out. But to her (and Winter’s) shock, she doesn’t die, but wakes up in his body – and he in hers. Unlike most other body-swap stories, creator Ocean uses this one to make a real-world point: Violet is suddenly respected and listened to because she’s wearing a man’s body. Her education and intelligence come to the fore as she uses these, along with her polite demeanor, to negotiate excellent business contracts, whereas Winter mostly does this through force, which does him no favors. Freed from all constraints (including her debilitating pain), Violet finds meaning in life for the first time in years.
What about winter? He learned some very hard lessons from his wife’s experience. We soon discover that he has carrot-like people skills and empathy, stemming in large part from his tragic childhood as a neglected and abused child laborer. He’s been ignoring Violet, not out of anger but because he doesn’t know any better, and the moment he realizes how much pain she’s physically in, he calls the good doctor to help – because they quickly figure out how to switch back, and Violet actually benefits from it.
For the show’s sake, Winter doesn’t immediately make clear everything she’s been subjected to. This is a work in progress, which means there is another suicide attempt in the book, because even as things progress materially, Violet continues to be harassed by Duchess Blooming and others. There are no quick and easy fixes to anything.
As you may have guessed, this makes the book difficult to read at times. While Winter is forced to learn to empathize and respect his wife, there’s no magic reset button on her life. This is not a time loop story; It’s a story about two people trying to save their marriage (and her life) in real time, which makes it much darker than the surface plot would suggest. Winter is hurt on an emotional level, but that doesn’t immediately translate into empathy or understanding. There is real Work This has to be done, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to do it. Violet also does her best, but she’s beaten to the point of giving up (Winter never reaches that point despite her past), and that’s risky too. This is not an easy story to read.
not much comics This kind of story deserves comparison with Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic tale yellow wallpaperbut this one does. Violet was papered over, making her feel like she deserved it, and that the wallpaper was too hard to tear off. I hope she can escape and become something more than the woman behind the wallpaper. No one deserves to be covered up, and this story might just be about Violet and Winter realizing that – and wanting to do something about it.
