Scan barcode
A review by lovelymisanthrope
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
I picked up a copy of this book at a library book sale.
"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.
"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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy