One of the best novels I have read recently, The Mars Room takes us inside a fictional correctional facility in California, where survival is key. Romy is the main character, whose crime is slowly revealed through flashbacks. We read about a troubled childhood in San Francisco that included a emotionally stunted mother in a bad part of town, to a traumatic rape at age 11. We read about an unstable young adulthood spend doing drugs, drinking, and working a dead-end job at a local strip club,

While the characters within the prison are not at all likable on the surface, the character development Ms. Kushner writes endears their plights to us as readers. Kushner pulls back the curtain on an unjust society that allowed these women to have few life choices, and even fewer chances for justice , as she weaves the stories together.

Thanks to Scribner and #netgalley for an opportunity to review this wonderful novel from a wonderful storyteller in exchange for an honest review.

"Retain the innocence of the most wholesome feeling you ever had in your life."

Romy Leslie Hall, inmate W314159, is on her way to Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. She has a past life lived in San Francisco, a present life in prison, and no future. She's meant to serve 2 consecutive life sentences plus 6 years. She left her son, Jackson behind with her mom. She doesn't plan on anything. Prison life is a world apart and the other inmates, guards and staff have their own agendas. There's nothing at all for Romy to do but continue to exist -- whether she wants to or not.

This was quite the book. I'm sure some of the details about prison life are true enough and I imagine there are places both better and worse than Stanville depending on where one is remanded. Identity is stripped, there is no meaningful work, and nothing to look forward to when you have no chance of parole. You know you will die in prison. Romy has no one on the outside to communicate with and no one inside who can be trusted. It's lonely and it's hell. But the uncaring guards say, "You made your choice." In many ways, this novel was very depressing and left a lot more questions than it provided answers. It would definitely make a good selection for a book club as there is much to discuss about crime and imprisonment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-book ARC to read and review.

It has been five years since Rachel Kushner's last novel, The Flamethrowers, took the literary world by storm, but now finally, the two-time National Book Award nominee is back with a brand new work of fiction. A dark and demanding look at life inside a women's correctional facility, The Mars Room explores how life circumstances, not choices, can define the future.


Out now from Scribner, The Mars Room takes readers inside the fictional Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility in California’s Central Valley, where thousands of female inmates are locked in a battle with each other and the prison guards for power and the means for survival behind bars. At the center of the novel is Romy, a young woman serving out two consecutive life sentences for a shocking crime the narrative slowly reveals through flashbacks. As she moves through the violent monotony of the day-to-day in prison, Romy thinks about the life that lead her here: a troubled childhood in San Francisco that included a traumatic rape at age 11; an unstable young adulthood spend doing drugs, drinking, and working a dead-end job at a local strip club, The Mars Room, that had greater repercussions on her future than she could have ever imagined; her young son and the center of her life, Jackson, who she was forced to leave motherless when she was sentenced to prison; the sweet photographer boyfriend, Jimmy, who abandoned her with the clink of the jail cell door.

Like her peers in prison, a vibrant cast of diverse women with gut-wrenching personal histories all their own, Romy has committed a terrible and violent crime. Yet, The Mars Room manages to create an overwhelming sense of empathy in readers, for Romy and the other characters. It is not that Kushner makes excuses for the prisoners or their shocking acts of violence, but she does pull back the curtain of an unjust society that gave these women little life choices, and even fewer chances for justice.

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner, $18, Amazon

A powerful and exacting examination of class, wealth, race, and the other social constructs and power structures that can define an individual's future from the moment of their birth, The Mars Room is a profound novel that says as much about life inside prison as it does about life outside of it. Not only does Kushner's novel paint an authentic picture of life behind bars, from the minute details of lice treatments and vaginal exams to the cruelty of the guards and brutality of the inmates, but it uses the microcosm of the correctional facility to reveal what the prisoners themselves were born victim to outside of it: a system built with someone else's interests in mind, one they are largely powerless to change.

In her examination of the inmates’ lives behind bars, the question Kushner asks is not whether or not these women ever had a choice, but rather whether or not that their choices ultimately mattered in the end. When someone is born into poverty within a system of power and privilege that denies them of safe communities, accessible education, adequate housing, and quality job opportunities, The Mars Room seems to argue, their choices are pre-determined, their futures predestined.

As Romy explains in a passage where she speaks directly to the reader, who she addresses as someone born to an entirely different world, not everyone would have made the same decisions she did. However, thousands born into her circumstances would have, and do, every day:

"You would not have gone. I understand that. You would not have gone up to his room. You would not have asked him for help. You would not have been wandering lost at midnight at age eleven. You would have been safe and dry and asleep, at home with your mother and your father who cared about you and had rules, curfews, expectations. Everything for you would have been different. But if you were me, you would have done what I did. You would have gone, hopeful and stupid, to get the money for the taxi."
Although circumstance cannot be entirely blamed for the actions that landed someone like Romy or her fellow inmates Conan, a black trans woman with a lot of personality, and Button Sanchez, a pregnant teen who never got to say goodbye to her baby, in jail, the defining role poverty, prejudice, racism, drug addiction, mental illness, and physical and sexual abuse played cannot be ignored either. Kushner uses her gritty and unrelenting narrative and its complex characters to show that.

The novel, which alternates between first person and third person and follows the stories of several different characters, puts readers into the shoes of people, mostly women, on the margins of society. Many of them are domestic and sexual abuse survivors, and an overwhelming number of them are in prison for acts of self-defense. What The Mars Room does particularly well with these vivid characters and their crimes is use them as vehicles to explore the flaws not just within the penal system, or even the greater criminal justice system, but the flaws within our society. The truth is, The Mars Rooms reveals, life behind bars at the Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility is brutal, unjust, and plagued with violence and prejudice, but so too is the world right outside of its gate.

The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner

4 stars

“I don’t plan on living a long life. Or a short life, necessarily. I have no plans at all. The thing is you keep existing whether you have a plan to do so or not, until you don’t exist, and then your plans are meaningless.”

Romy Hall finds herself in the Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility with two consecutive life sentences and it’s all because of the Mars Room. If she hadn’t been a dancer there then she wouldn’t have met Kurt Kennedy and she would still be with her son. The Mars Room looks into the harsh and degrading life of female inmates who never had a chance outside of their circumstances. Every woman and man that finds themselves in the prison system and in this novel is a stark representation of the reality of what environment does to those who can’t find a way out. When reading this novel, I was immediately reminded of Eileen (which is a fantastic character study) and her deranged musings. Eileen was a despicable human being and the characters in The Mars Room are in the same vein of apathetic and sympathetically enduring. It’s easy to hate these characters because they have done horrible things, but at the same time they are so very human. It’s an interesting contrast the Kushner captures brilliantly and it’s one of my favorite things about The Mars Room. Not only does Kushner excel at character studies, but her writing is gorgeous. I highlighted so many passages and I would sit back and reflect on certain sentences. Every word here feels intentional. Kushner delivers excellent descriptions of San Francisco and Romy’s turmoil with not appreciating its beauty until it was only a memory. Everything felt vivid and I felt like I was watching a documentary or a TV show unfold.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.5

“We are all hopeful things would go differently. They did not go differently. They went this way.”

Romy is an intriguing main character. She is portrayed in such a way that the reader feels incredibly sympathetic towards her plight and the injustice of her trial and lack of ability to defend herself. I must say that Kushner threw me for a loop with Kurt Kennedy’s chapters. I was left feeling still sympathetic towards Romy, but also with a great distaste because it is important to keep in mind that she did brutally murder a man. I’ll just leave this quote here and let you decide whether or not Romy is reliable or not because I still don’t know.


“You can’t believe anything people say. But what they say is all you have.”

I was not a fan of Gordon and his POV. Why was it in this novel? He was a weird creep who was obsessed with Thoreau (obvious red flags) and I didn’t gain anything from his perspective. Doc’s POV (a dirty cop in a men’s correctional facility) is also a weird POV. He is just disgusting and crude. I know he’s supposed to make me uncomfortable, but that doesn’t equate to him being necessary. If half of his POVs were edited down, I probably would have enjoyed those passages more. It does shed light onto misogynistic entitlements that run rampant in people with power though, so it isn’t all nonsense. Kurt Kennedy’s chapters made me think. This guy was a repulsive stalker who had no respect of boundaries and was incredibly entitled to the thought of Romy (aka Vanessa). He shows up at her house in a completely different city after she tries to run away from him and confronts her with his son. Kurt is incredibly disable and can barely walk. He has two canes and to me, is obviously not a threat. However, to a mother, he poses a huge threat. Romy’s reaction is understandable of a woman who has been stalked and fears for the safety of her child.

Character Scale: 4

“That’s how dumpsters got their name. People dump bodies. The bodies of women and girls.”

The ending… what an ending. It was open-ended, but it hints at what probably occurred. I felt satisfied by it and I’m glad that Kushner ended it this way instead of some sappy or implausible happy ending. I do think that The Mars Room will be a favorite for a lot of people. It has a lot of wonderful qualities—the writing and characters. It also is hindered by unnecessary point of views that take away from the Romy’s story. I do recommend this one. I was so excited for this one when I heard about it before it was released and it did not disappoint.


Plotastic Scale: 3.75

Cover Thoughts: I like it. It’s depressing and bleak. Not a favorite of mine, but it has a certain thematic quality to it that represents The Mars Room well.

Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Young mother, Romy Hall, is at the beginning of serving two life sentences when the reader meets her.  Through Romy we also get to turn the lens toward her fellow inmates and how their minds work as well as the social structure within the prison.   We also get to meet the man whose murder is the reason for Romy being in prison.  We learn Romy's story through her remembering while serving time in prison.  

It is a very different kind of novel.  It prompted me to wonder if incarcerated with no hope for release ever, what would I do?  How would I cope and keep my sanity?  The novel is unflinching in its portrayal of Romy's life.  The Mars Room is well written but not one to read if you are looking for a fun or easy read.  It will make you think and consider your beliefs of what you think you know.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

3.5 stars. The Mars Room kept my attention. It's well-written, a fascinating look inside the mind of inmates, as well as what life in prison might be like for those inmates. Kushner does a good job of drumming up sympathy for her prisoners, for the hopelessness of their situations and the lack of resources available to them. I've read reviews by others who didn't like her style of jumping from one character to another, but I thought it served the story well--building the tension and giving an alternate view. And while most of the book made me want to lock my doors and never leave my house again, it also reminded me that humans are fragile and easily broken.

I'm one to admit when I just do not get the hype on a book. This is one that I just did not jump on the train with. I am bit confused by it actually.


The majority of the book is about Romy, who has been sentenced to two life sentences for murdering her stalker. She is poor and worked as a stripper..so she basically stood no chance in the justice system.
This part of the book kept me interested. For some sicko reason prison type dramas are one of my favorite subjects...and it does not have to be farting unicorn type storylines.
For example..one of my favorite shows of all time...


This one is sorta dark. The women in the prison are not being portrayed as innocents..they did their crimes. So it was not that that kinda soured this book for me.

It was the jumping time line and viewpoints. You had so many different storylines that were thrown into the mix that NEVER came together. At the end of the book I thought maybe it would all tie in but it doesn't. It was just random. Then when Romy's crime is finally explained I did not really like her much either.

I may need a warning on some books that I'm just not smart or edgey enough to get them.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

My prediction is that this book will be one of the best books of 2018. One of the best books that I have read so far this year. Rachel Kushner is an author that never ever disappoints and she really nailed it with this story. The plot is strong and the story weaves here and there keeping your attention through out the book. The characters are three dimensional and you will not be able to put this book down because you absolutely must know what happened. So yes this definitely needs to either join your digital library or it needs a prominent spot on your book shelf. Either way enjoy this wonderful amazing book. Happy reading!

Rachel Kushner’s new novel The Mars Room is a heartbreaking and unsparing look at a life gone sideways. From a young age Romy Hall became acclimatized to life on the street in San Francisco and seemed like someone who could navigate the fine line between survival and self-destruction. But a bad history with an obsessive strip club visitor leads the young mother to an unfortunate encounter and two life sentences in prison.

Separated from and unable to get in contact with her son, Hall tries to reconcile her new life with her old. Kushner draws a vivid picture of a woman growing up only knowing poverty and getting caught up in a system that has little regard for her plight.

The Mars Room (Scribner, digital galley) alternates between the present and Hall’s earlier life. While at times brutal, the novel offer an empathetic look at prison life and the rich cast of characters who reside there.

Thank you Net Galley for the free ARC.
This book is an very sad and depressing. The story of a stripper and her stalker whom she kills with a tire iron. All the things you don't want to come happen in your life.

Willy-Nilly - adverb or adjective \ wil·ly-nil·ly \ ˌwi-lē-ˈni-lē \ in a haphazard or spontaneous manner.

Haphazard. That is the perfect word to describe the style and structure of The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner.

Romy Leslie Hall is serving two life sentences for murdering her alleged stalker. Her past in the back alleys of San Francisco as a stripper at The Mars Room, “the very seediest and most circus-like place there is”, is revealed (willy-nilly style) as she navigates her first few years of incarceration.

This book is cobbled together meanderings and stream of consciousness wanderings. Here’s a section in the first-person about one of the inmates, then a third-person chapter about Richard Nixon performing at the Grand Ole Opry, then a section about a murderous man in the woods, oh and then here’s a section about a male inmate at another prison. Everything is cobbled together in such a random way it’s difficult to latch onto any one thing.

Having said all of that, I didn’t hate it. Prison culture is always interesting. As a fan of Orange is the New Black and The Shawshank Redemption, I am intrigued by stories of incarceration, a way of life that is completely foreign to me. The Mars Room taught me about toilet mail and contraband cucumbers among other colorful things, so now I have that added knowledge going for me.

The Mars Room lacks focus, but it was still an entertaining look at the grimy side of San Francisco.

Raw and without restraint. The Mars Room unapologetically addresses the lives of several that have gone off the rails. Doc's POV was a little too graphic and sexual for my taste but overall, this novel and its characters were well-developed.

Rachel Kushner has applied her extraordinary writing skills to one of the most significant issues in American society, mass incarceration. I am mostly aware of male prison and the use of penalization for drug use and minor crimes. It is new to me (I didn't watch "Orange is the New Black") that life is hopeless for the unfortunate women who get caught up in today's penal system.

Romy Hall, a former exotic dancer in San Francisco, has started serving two life sentences in 2003. She winds up in a deserted area in the central region of California in a place called Stanville. Romy's life is one of monotony and grief, missing her son, Jackson, who is with Romy's mother. At first, Romy has no interest in getting jobs to get money for canteen supplies or classes to give some meaning to her day. She sits and waits. Romy observes her fellow inmates and their stories create a narrative that pulled me in. I wanted to know what happened to each downtrodden woman who mostly came from poverty and homes of abuse to a life of more violence from inmates and guards. RK manages to peel away the complex layers of women who have gone against their nature by committing crimes. This novel took my breath away and made me more aware of what life in the USA is like for those whose freedom no longer exists.

Thank you, NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Tracy K. Smith’s Life on Mars starts with Sci-Fi, “There will be no edges, but curves./ Clean lines pointing only forward. / History, with its hard spine & dog-eared/ Corners, will be replaced with nuance, / Just like the dinosaurs gave way/ To mounds and mounds of ice.” Smith goes on, book-length, to cast doubt on Mars’s promise, and if Kushner’s failures happen on earth, she also mourns the end of nuance, too little empathy or luck. It’s smart and crushing, but my favorite parts were about the bleakness of San Francisco bus shelters, the streetcar tracks on Judah, the 43 (“headed toward Sears on Geary, where we would lie down on the beds in the furniture department when we were tired”). Nothing more grim than MUNI.

I was a big fan of Rachel Kushner's The Flamethrowers so I was elated to get an advance look at The Mars Room. The summary from the publisher: It’s 2003 and Romy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, deep in California’s Central Valley. Outside is the world from which she has been severed: the San Francisco of her youth and her young son, Jackson. Inside is a new reality: thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive; the bluffing and pageantry and casual acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike; and the deadpan absurdities of institutional living, which Kushner evokes with great humor and precision.

What I thought: ...hmm. Kushner writes really, REALLY well and is a masterful storyteller. The story, however, didn't grab me. This is the story of the prison system and the victims of circumstance. Class, wealth and power dynamics are all discussed. This is the story of Romy's life - before prison and now.

This is a dark book. This is not a light summer read. This is a book that will bring feelings of anger and disgust and most of all sadness.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Simply stunning. Kushner tackles timely issues like mass incarceration, domestic abuse, police brutality, and more. The novel is haunting, and I'm sure will be a huge hit.

DNF -story was too slow to keep my attention and with my limited free time I just couldn’t slog through it. Also I feel like I had too high of hopes of this being a fast page turner.

Wow. What an interesting novel Kushner has created. I was uncertain about the correctional facility setting, but it was a really neat backdrop for the characters development. I so appreciate you allowing me to read it early, and I have ordered several copies for my library. I know it will be a big hit!

Kushner's writing is envy-inducing. While it's hard not to think of 'Orange is the New Black' in the long sections about life in a women's prison, her style will draw you in to the world of low-income, low-hope teens in 80s San Francisco.

Fascinating read. Rachel Kushner has the ability to transport a reader with her storytelling. While reading this book, I was thoroughly engrossed in the world she created. I really enjoyed her writing style.

The Mars Room paints a decidedly gloomy picture of life in women's prison. Our main protagonist is Romy Hall, convicted of murder, and sentenced to life. Her case is decidedly murky, was it self defense or outright murder? Like many, she cannot afford a lawyer and is assigned an overworked, under qualified public defender. Her young son is sent to live with her alcoholic mother when Romy is inevitably convicted. However, when her mother dies, her son's fate is unknown. She has no way of finding his whereabouts, and goes to great lengths to do so. Her story is not unlike many of the other inmates she befriends while incarcerated.

Many of these women grew up poor, were sex workers, strippers, or drug mules. Many of the crimes that landed them in prison with hefty sentences were as innocuous as writing bad checks. Many of them had poor legal counsel or in some cases none at all. They seemed doomed from the start. There is also an interesting side story regarding the plight of transgender prisoners and whether they should be housed based on the gender they were born or the gender the identify with. Survival is even harder for those who have no family or anyone on the outside who can help them. I applaud Kushner's ability to tell this story without making excuses for the choices these women make. She is able to craft a compelling story using flashbacks, alternate points of view and a great cast of characters.

While a work of fiction, it does come across as a little bit of social commentary on the prison/justice system. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review.