Sundress Reads: Review of Rose Mask

Jared Joseph’s Rose Mask (FiveNine, 2024) is a hilariously sardonic take on working in the service industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented as a one-act play in which the characters consist of the server, the customer, the customer, the customer, the customer, the customer,… so on and so forth, this delightful little book cleverly blends humor, social commentary, and keen observations on the nature of work and capitalism.

The narrative structure of Rose Mask is deceptively simple yet effective. The book portrays a repetitive loop of interactions between a server and a customer in a restaurant, with each encounter subtly altering the dynamics to highlight the depersonalization caused by commodified relationships. Despite the customer’s obvious monetary power, the server maintains narrative agency by sharing a private joke with themselves and the audience, subtly challenging the power imbalance. For example, Joseph writes,

The familiarity of these exchanges, universal to minimum wage workers in retail and food service, is as eerie as it is hilarious. These repetitive scenes not only mirror the monotony and predictability of service work, but also allow Joseph to explore the nuances of these interactions with a sardonic wit that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

Joseph’s writing is sharp and incisive, capturing a level of authenticity that deeply resonates, evoking genuine snorts of laughter and prompting one to bookmark more than half the scenes to inevitably share with fellow co-workers on our lunch breaks. Another moment showcases this especially well:

Joseph’s portrayal of the server-customer relationship is both humanistic and critical, offering an insightful perspective on the power dynamics at work. The titular “rose mask” becomes a symbol of the thin veneer of civility and professionalism that the server must maintain, with psychological distance being their only leverage in a situation where they are otherwise powerless. This metaphor encapsulates the often-unspoken tensions in the service industry, highlighting the delicate balancing act minimum-wage workers perform, constantly switching between honesty and appeasement, or debating the choice to do so, depending on the temperament of the customer standing before them.

The setting of the book, illustrated by notable recurrent cocktails such as, “Beach Don’t Kill My Vibe” and “Eye of the Thai-ger” and the repetitive cycle of service, further amplifies the sense of confinement and routine that defines a server’s experience. Within this limited scope, Joseph explores the exploitative nature of capitalism against the historical context of service work. 

Jared Joseph’s play is a subtly scathing critique of late capitalism, power structures, and the performance of identity. Through its repetition, wit, and existential undercurrents, Rose Mask manages to capture the absurdity of modern life while offering a glimpse into the tender, often overlooked humanity that exists within it.

This book is a must-read for anyone who used to work, is currently working, and/or is recovering from retail and food service trauma. It is perhaps a great recommendation for those who may desperately need assistance in cultivating empathy for service workers. Short in length and hilariously yet deceptively light-hearted in its execution, it will tenderly rub salt into old wounds if you are a survivor of the service industry hellscape, serve as a wonderful read for your day off, or will provide some much needed comfort for a week during your shift breaks. Joseph’s ability to capture the absurdity and humanity of service work during a global pandemic is nothing short of brilliant, making Rose Mask a book that is as entertaining as it is enlightening. If you enjoy self-deprecating humor, or often use humor as a coping mechanism, this is your new favorite book.

Rose Mask is available from Five Nine Press

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Claire Melanie Svec is a writer, poet, and singer-songwriter whose work is primarily focused on social dynamics, morality, and uncovering both the beauty and ugliness in mental health struggles. She published a short story piece that has won the first-place prize in fiction for The Ear Literary Magazine‘s Linda Purdy Memorial Prize. In addition to her editorial internship with Sundress Publications, she is currently serving as a fiction reader for West Trade Review. Progress on her upcoming work, projects, and adventures during her year-long stay in Paris, France, can be found on her Instagram @_clairedavila.