Scan barcode
A review by polyreader
A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan
5.0
This was wonderful! I would’ve finished it in a single sitting easily, but sadly I don’t have that luxury at the moment. I think it would’ve been an even better experience that way. I need more time to process for a full review!
——
Another one of the exciting new Australian releases that has taken bookstagram by storm this year. I finally got around to reading this ARC last month, which I received quite a while ago, and it certainly lived up to its name!
A Room Called Earth is a fascinating little gem of a novel, narrated by an obscure young Australian woman, set over a 24-hr period.
When the book begins, the protagonist is getting ready for a party. She heads to the party, attends the party and comes home from the party - but it’s SO much more than that. This is a character study, a millennial societal analysis, a book that relies heavily on prose, detail, insight and very little on plot.
This book is unlike anything else I’ve read. It’s spoken from such an interesting characters mind, with many random tangents and analysis of social situations unfolding in front of her eyes. It often speaks of, and ponders on privilege, which is interesting given the immense privilege of the protagonist herself, lots of which we discover towards the end of the book. It’s also a book about grief and loss, acceptance, gender, climate change, lots of the big existential issues we’re collectively facing.
I recommend this to millennials first and foremost, but anyone, really. I’ll leave you with this quote: “I think it’s healthy for you to be questioning your behaviour and having more open discussions with women can only be positive. Because, you’re right, your privilege isn’t the problem. Being unaware of it and using it irresponsibly is. I wouldn’t be so sure about your friends, either. If you’re not in the room when they’re fucking some chick, you can’t really speak for them. I suspect that you’d be surprised. The nice guys who get on super well with all of their bros are usually the ones to be wary of, in my experience.”
——
Another one of the exciting new Australian releases that has taken bookstagram by storm this year. I finally got around to reading this ARC last month, which I received quite a while ago, and it certainly lived up to its name!
A Room Called Earth is a fascinating little gem of a novel, narrated by an obscure young Australian woman, set over a 24-hr period.
When the book begins, the protagonist is getting ready for a party. She heads to the party, attends the party and comes home from the party - but it’s SO much more than that. This is a character study, a millennial societal analysis, a book that relies heavily on prose, detail, insight and very little on plot.
This book is unlike anything else I’ve read. It’s spoken from such an interesting characters mind, with many random tangents and analysis of social situations unfolding in front of her eyes. It often speaks of, and ponders on privilege, which is interesting given the immense privilege of the protagonist herself, lots of which we discover towards the end of the book. It’s also a book about grief and loss, acceptance, gender, climate change, lots of the big existential issues we’re collectively facing.
I recommend this to millennials first and foremost, but anyone, really. I’ll leave you with this quote: “I think it’s healthy for you to be questioning your behaviour and having more open discussions with women can only be positive. Because, you’re right, your privilege isn’t the problem. Being unaware of it and using it irresponsibly is. I wouldn’t be so sure about your friends, either. If you’re not in the room when they’re fucking some chick, you can’t really speak for them. I suspect that you’d be surprised. The nice guys who get on super well with all of their bros are usually the ones to be wary of, in my experience.”