I have read a lot of Stephen King in my life...and I think that this novel is one of his best...because while it is less specific than others in terms of locations of where things take place, that's part of it's suspense. Not sure about other readers, but I'm pretty sure the world in the painting is one of the worlds on the wheel; sort of reminds me of one of the twisting areas of Roland's world. I feel like Rose Madder and Roland might have interacted off page at some point.