History YMMV / LolaRose

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Does Jake really only care about the lottery money or did he really like Nikki? We only really see his actions from Jayni's viewpoint, who is understandably biased. Jake may well have appreciated the money and gifts, but then, he is a poor art student. He does seem to care about Nikki's wellbeing, insisting she go see a doctor and making an effort to [[spoiler: visit her in hospital]]. Jayni calls him out on him 'abandoning' her mother when she needs him, but as Jayni herself stated earlier, the guy is only twenty years old. He's a student, has no income of his own, is little more than a kid himself and is in no way financially or emotionally equipped to cope with being in a long-term relationship with an emotionally damaged woman ''and'' a father figure to her two young children.
* FridgeHorror: [[spoiler: If Nikki had died of cancer, the kids wouldn't just have lost their mother, but they may have ended up back with Jay, their abusive father. Barbara would probably have fought tooth and nail to get custody of the kids, but there's no guarantee she would've been given custody and the kids could well have ended up in care too]].
* MoralEventHorizon: If he hadn't crossed it in the third chapter when he punches his own daughter across the face for calling him out, Jay certainly does later when he [[spoiler: threatens and tries to hit his estranged wife for being with another man - in front of their kids and whilst Nikki is ''recovering from breast cancer surgery'']].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: Although it's listed as being for 'older readers', ''Lola Rose'' is still technically a children's book and possibly one of the straightest examples of this trope in Wilson's works. In addition to featuring a ton of Parental worries and NightmareFuel, the book also has blatant scenes of domestic violence and rather graphic descriptions ([[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence for a kid's book]]) of injuries Nikki sustains from beatings. It has a few allusions to sex or implied sex and the second half deals very explicitly with [[spoiler: TheTopicOfCancer, including the main protagonist's mother almost dying]].
* TheWoobie: Jayni. She grows up in an abusive home, then goes on the run, gets PromotedToParent, is constantly paranoid her father will come after them and then has to cope with her mother [[spoiler: getting cancer]]. And on top of that, she has rather poor self-esteem, constantly second-guessing herself or putting herself down. Case in point, after her father punches her in the jaw, she states her teeth feel funny and worries they're going to drop out. She then thinks that this might not be such a bad thing, as they'll make her "fat" face look thinner. Did we mention this a ''ten/eleven year old kid''?

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: Although it's listed as being for 'older readers', ''Lola Rose'' is still technically a children's book and possibly one of the straightest examples of this trope in Wilson's works. In addition to featuring a ton of AdultFear and NightmareFuel, the book also has blatant scenes of domestic violence and rather graphic descriptions ([[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence for a kid's book]]) of injuries Nikki sustains from beatings. It has a few allusions to sex or implied sex and the second half deals very explicitly with [[spoiler: TheTopicOfCancer, including the main protagonist's mother almost dying]].

* NightmareFuel:
** Nikki and the kids' escape. They have to pack quickly and at one point freeze in terror when they hear footsteps outside, thinking it's Jay back from the pub. Then, when they're travelling to the train station in a taxi, they pass by Jay's pub and have to shrink down in their seats out of fear Jay or one of his friends will see them.
** Jayni comes across as very paranoid, often imagining all kinds of horrible and frightening scenarios - particularly when she's left to fend for herself -such as someone breaking into her home, her mother being hit by a car, her mother dying [[spoiler: of cancer]] etc.
** The so-called 'Voice of Doom' whom Jayni imagines as the personification of her worst fears. It always knows ''exactly'' what to say to make any situation or scenario a hundred times worse.
** [[spoiler: Jay]] attacks [[spoiler: Barbara]] with a broken mug, implying he intends to do her serious harm. If it weren't for [[spoiler: Barbara]]'s quick-thinking and skill at marital arts, she could've been badly injured or possibly even killed, in front of her own [[spoiler: sister, niece and nephew]], no less.
** When Jayni hangs out in the park with Ross and his gang, Ross forcibly kisses her and tries to pull her behind some bushes, refusing to let go of her and yelling at her to keep quiet when she starts yelling for help. The implications of this, as well as Jayni's obvious discomfort, are deeply disturbing, especially to older readers who are rereading the novel. The same can be said of the implications of [[spoiler: Barbara's ex-fiancé having a sexual relationship with her then-sixteen year old sister]].

* {{Tearjerker}}:
** During an argument Nikki and Jayni have about Jake, Nikki blurts out “Don’t kid yourself you’ll ever get a man like Jake.” As well as already being an incredibly cruel thing to say to your own child, the reader knows full well how self-conscious Jayni is about her appearance and how she worries no one will ever find her attractive, making it a hundred times worse.
** Nikki’s unexpected recovery after [[spoiler: almost dying of an infection]] causes tears of happiness and relief both in-universe and for readers.
** The fact that much of what Jayni and her family go through [[TruthInTelevision really happens]] to people who are victims of domestic violence [[spoiler: or cancer]].

* TheWoobie: Jayni. She grows up in an abusive home, then goes on the run, gets PromotedToParent, is constantly paranoid her father will come after them and then has to cope with her mother [[spoiler: getting cancer]]. And on top of that, she has rather poor self-esteem, constantly second-guessing herself or putting herself down. Case in point, after her father punches her in the jaw, she states her teeth feel funny and worries they're going to drop out. She then thinks that this might not be such a bad thing, as they'll make her "fat" face look thinner. Did we mention this a ''ten/eleven year old kid''?

* MomentOfAwesome:
** [[spoiler: Auntie Barbara]] leaping to Nikki's defence when [[spoiler: Jay]] tries to hit her and utterly defeating and humiliating him.
** Jayni standing outside the shark tank for a full hour whilst not moving or flinching despite her intense fear of them [[spoiler: and using the shark's tooth she 'won' for her ordeal to 'heal' her mother]].

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Does Jake really only care about the lottery money or did he really like Nikki? We only really see his actions from Jayni's viewpoint, who is understandably biased. Jake may well have appreciated the money and gifts, but then, he is a poor art student. He does seem to care about Nikki's wellbeing, insisting she go see a doctor and making an effort to [[spoiler: visit her in hospital]]. Jayni calls him out on him 'abandoning' her mother when she needs him, but as Jayni herself stated earlier, the guy is only twenty years old. He's a student, has no income of his own, is little more than a kid himself and is no way financially or emotionally equipped to cope with being in a long-term relationship with an emotionally damaged woman and a father figure to her two young children.

** Jayni standing outside the shark tank for a full hour whilst moving or flinching despite her intense fear of them [[spoiler: and using the shark's tooth she 'won' for her ordeal to 'heal' her mother]].

** The fact that much of what Jayni and her family go through has or is [[TruthInTelevision really happening]] to people who live with domestic violence or try to escape it every day.

* ParanoiaFuel: The very real threat of Jay tracking the family down is present throughout much of the novel. Jayni often finds herself looking over her shoulder in public and panicking if she so much as sees a man who looks like her father. On one occasion, whilst home alone, Jayni imagines all kinds of scenarios in which a man (hinted to be representative of Jay) breaks into their flat and lurks in the rooms or goes after her brother, prompting to run around checking the entire flat, and even going to the end of the drive to make sure.

* TheWoobie: Jayni. She grows up in an abusive home, then goes on the run, gets PromotedToParent, is constantly paranoid her father will come after them and then has to cope with her mother [[spoiler: getting cancer]]. And on top of that, she has rather poor self-esteem, constantly second-guessing herself or putting herself down. Case in point, after her father punches her in the jaw, she states her teeth feel funny and worries they're going to drop out. She then thinks that this might not be such a bad thing, as they'll make her "fat" face look thinner. Did we mention this a ten/eleven year kid?

** When Jayni hangs out in the park with Ross and his gang, Ross forcibly kisses her and tries to pull her behind some bushes, refusing to let go of her and yelling at her to keep quiet when she starts yelling for help. The implications of this, as well as Jayni's obvious discomfort, are deeply disturbing, especially to older readers who are rereading the novel. The same can be said of the implications of Barbara's ex-fiancé having a sexual relationship with her then-sixteen year old sister..

** ParanoiaFuel: The very real threat of Jay tracking the family down is present throughout much of the novel. Jayni often finds herself looking over her shoulder in public and panicking if she so much as sees a man who looks like her father. On one occasion, whilst home alone, Jayni imagines all kinds of scenarios in which a man (hinted to be representative of Jay) breaks into their flat and lurks in the rooms or goes after her brother, prompting to run around checking the entire flat, and even going to the end of the drive to make sure.
** WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: Although it's listed as being for 'older readers', ''Lola Rose'' is still technically a children's book and possibly one of the straightest examples of this trope in Wilson's works. In addition to featuring a ton of AdultFear and NightmareFuel, the book also has blatant scenes of domestic violence and rather graphic descriptions ([[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence for a kid's book]]) of injuries Nikki sustains from beatings. It has a few allusions to sex or implied sex and the second half deals very explicitly with [[spoiler: TheTopicOfCancer, including the main protagonist's mother almost dying]].
** TheWoobie: Jayni. She grows up in an abusive home, then goes on the run, gets PromotedToParent, is constantly paranoid her father will come after them and then has to cope with her mother [[spoiler: getting cancer]]. And on top of that, she has rather poor self-esteem, constantly second-guessing herself or putting herself down. Case in point, after her father punches her in the jaw, she states her teeth feel funny and worries they're going to drop out. She then thinks that this might not be such a bad thing, as they'll make her "fat" face look thinner. Did we mention this a ten/eleven year kid?

** Jayni comes across as very paranoid, often imagining all kinds of horrible and frightening scenarios - particularly when she's left to fend for herself -such as someone breaking into her home, her mother being hit by a car, her mother dying of cancer etc.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Does Jake really only care about the lottery money or did he really like Nikki? We only really see his actions from Jayni's viewpoint, who is understandably biased. Jake may well have appreciated the money and gifts, but then, he is a poor art student. He does seem to care about Nikki's wellbeing, insisting she go see a doctor and making an effort to visit her in hospital. Jayni calls him out on him 'abandoning' her mother when she needs him, but as Jayni herself stated earlier, the guy is only twenty years old. He's a student, has no income of his own, is little more than a kid himself and is no way financially or emotionally equipped to cope with being in a long-term relationship with an emotionally damaged woman and a father figure to her two young children.

* MoralEventHorizon: If he hadn't crossed it in the third chapter when he punches his own daughter across the face for calling him out, Jay certainly does later when he threatens and tries to hit his estranged wife for being with another man - in front of their kids and whilst Nikki is recovering from breast cancer surgery.

** TheWoobie: Jayni. She grows up in an abusive home, then goes on the run, gets Promoted to Parent, is constantly paranoid her father will come after them and then has to cope with her mother getting cancer. And on top of that, she has rather poor self-esteem, constantly second-guessing herself or putting herself down. Case in point, after her father punches her in the jaw, she states her teeth feel funny and worries they're going to drop out. She then thinks that this might not be such a bad thing, as they'll make her "fat" face look thinner. Did we mention this a ten/eleven year kid?

* FridgeHorror: If Nikki had died of cancer, the kids wouldn't just have lost their mother, but they may have ended up back with Jay, their abusive father. Barbara would probably have fought tooth and nail to get custody of the kids, but there's no guarantee she would've been given custody and the kids could well have ended up in care too.