The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner was given to me by my boss. I appealed to her good taste for help in finding my next Cannonball Read selection, as I knew she’d point me to something deep and meaningful. I was not wrong.
The Mars Room read like a collection of thoughtful anecdotes from a life filled with tragedy. The novel commences with the musings, recollections, and observations of our main character as she barrels along in prison transport to serve a life sentence in jail. The details breathed into the story are compelling and lifelike. Having spent time in southern California over the years, I could easily picture the suburbs and communities in her story. I could feel every bump in her road.
As the story progresses, people fall into and out of the narrative in the same way that people in our lives appear and disappear. Whole chapters will switch to the POV of, for example, her prison GED teacher. But then, in a few throw-away sentences, that character will be gone. This story-telling device felt incredibly appropriate for a story told behind bars. In the same way that she was not in control of her life, we, the reader, are not in control of this story. Characters and events are ripped from the narrative like babies are ripped from the arms of their incarcerated mothers. There is no sympathy. It’s devastatingly commonplace.
I found the story told by The Mars Room to be small yet profoundly sad. None of the details are hyped and the reader is respected to make their own connections and find their own meanings.
Having said all that… this book did not gel with me. From a purely academic perspective, I could see the beautiful storytelling. I could appreciate the structure and the sensitivity, and the importance of telling this story. But it was too easy for me to put it down and walk away. I was not gripped by the plight of this prisoner. It’s not the book’s fault though, it’s mine.
If you are looking for a small-scale story showing the flaws of society, the broken justice system, and the unbearable yet mundane struggle of a life lived without privilege, then read this book.
If you are looking for a gripping tale of escapism that has you desperately turning pages, this is not the book for you. I think, in these long days of Trump/Cardinal Pell/Christchurch, I already feel too exposed to the harsh reality of The Mars Room. And, unfortunately at this point, I’m utterly exhausted by sadness.
4 out of 5 abandoned stars.