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lovelymisanthrope's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
"The Mars Room" follows Romy Hall, a woman who is about to start to serve her two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women's Correctional Facility. Romy was forced to grant custody of her young son, Jackson, to her mother, and she is really struggling with this new reality of her life.
One thing that I think is important to note about this book is how it highlights how unfair the United States justice system can be. Did Romy deserve to be punished for what she did? Yes, she made a poor choice and there should be consequences, but the judge and jury only ever got one side of the story. Why did Romy do what she did? Does she really deserve to go away for life because her free attorney advised her not to take the stand? I do not think this is fair, and it depicts a fatal flaw in the justice system for those who cannot afford their own council.
This book also depicts how cruel cops and prison guards can be to inmates. I am sure it is a difficult job, and it probably takes a lot out of a person to see some of the worst in humanity day after day, but not every person who goes to prison is "bad" or deserves to be there. They are all people too, and showing a little compassion can go a long way.
This book just did not do a whole lot for me outside of sparking some thoughts about prison and our justice system. For someone in prison, I thought Romy's narrative was pretty dry, and there was something in the tone of the novel that I could not connect with. While I was reading this book, I felt like someone was telling me about this book, not that I was actually reading it.
There are chapters throughout the novel that follow other characters in the book, and I did not think that was necessary or added much to the story. Romy could have had a strong enough story on her own, and especially the narratives of men on the outside really took me out of the story.
This book felt very "meh" to me, but if you are curious to read a novel about a protagonist in prison, this might be the story for you.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy
lpdx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Transphobia, Violence, Animal cruelty, Grief, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Addiction, Animal death, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Blood, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Medical content, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent and Car accident
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Outing, Drug use, Death, Confinement, Blood, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Animal death, Biphobia, Police brutality, Murder, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Deadnaming, Colonisation, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Bullying, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Sexism, Racism, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
grantsharpies's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Addiction, and Pregnancy
laurataylor's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, Transphobia, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Gun violence