The Mars Room

The Mars Room
by Rachel Kushner
Pub May 2018

Set in a Women's Correctional Facility, The Mars Room  is centered on Romy Hall, a woman serving two consecutive life sentences. The story follows a web of narratives to explore the sad realities of life for marginalized populations both in and out of the prison system.

I'm a bit torn in how to review this book as there is plenty that I feel the author executed very well: flipping between people's perspectives kept the pace of the plot interesting, flowing back and forth across timelines created full, complex inmate's histories. I typically enjoy dark, gritty reads and the deadened affect of the characters complemented the tone of the novel perfectly. All that said, upon finishing all I could think was "Wait, is that it?" This may be an unfortunate case of desensitization via pop culture, but I feel that this book didn't really contribute much to the conversation that has not already been explored (both well or flippantly) by "Orange is the New Black" or "Prison Break." Which isn't to say there can be only one... just that I don't quite understand the waves upon waves of accolades this book received. Or for that matter, the Man Booker nomination. I chewed through the novel over a a few plane trips during a vacation, so maybe I just wasn't in the right headspace.

// I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Immortalists

The Immortalists
by Chloe Benjamin
Pub Jan 2018

 How would your life change if you knew what day you'd die? Four siblings bored of summertime visit a Romani mystic and leave with information that will change all of their lives. The story unfolds like a modern day Greek tragedy - bursting with a weird sort of self-propelled cosmic irony. So even though there was plenty about this book that I did like, it was basically everything happening between the plot lines. The bulk of the story kept me pretty bewildered. First off, going against all human instinct, none of the characters even try to rebel against the prophecies that they say they don't believe in. I'd understand this for a few of them to throw expectations to the wind but all four just full blast steer into the skid. Of course it's cliche to reject fate, but that's only because it's so painfully human to do so. On top of that, none of the characters --main or side-- were very likeable (barring Robert the dancer, he was great). Even the most rational ones of the bunch just dove headfirst into some nonsensical situations making it harder and harder to suspend disbelief as things unraveled.

 Now, what I did like. Each character had well-crafted, unique interpretations of the idea that "thoughts have wings" that there is power in "mind over matter." So much about our perception of reality not accessible to our conscious mind and this was explored beautifully. From her discussions of the placebo effect in medicine to physical and psychological forcing of a magicians illusions, this was where Benjamin's reflections on mortality and free will really shone through.

The Idiot
by Elif Batuman
Published: March 2017

If you have the chance to read this while laying on a towel in your backyard — or whatever lets you relive your favorite adolescent summer breaks — I highly recommend it. Nothing throws me back into past versions of myself like a well-written bildungsroman with an endearingly naive but resilient protag. 
College freshman Selin is learning to navigate elite university life in the 90's. She’s overanalyzing art and film, deconstructing theories of psycholinguistics and making friends with every fun ivy league stereotype along the way.

I get why this got nominated for a Pulitzer, Batuman has a thoughtful, observant way of capturing the world that was pleasantly refreshing. So maybe there are bits that got a little slow or parts where you just wanna shake the main character (until you remember what it was like to be 19 and allow some empathy... for her and for your own past self). To keep this spoiler free, I will just say that I found the ending to be very upsetting until I had a good think about how the main character would have felt about it. And then I had a good laugh. Well played.

Tale for the Time Being

A Tale for the Time Being
by Ruth Ozeki
Published: March 2013

A deeply spiritual and existentialist novel traverses space, time and layers of narrative. On the one hand, this is the story of Ruth, a struggling Japanese novelist living in rural Canada with her quirky eco-artist husband and her persnickety cat. Wandering the beach one day, she finds the diary of a Japanese teenager, Nao who writes about everything from the cruel torment of middle school bullies to her great-grandmother, who is a revolutionary, feminist Zen Buddhist nun.

As the stories unravel, parallels emerge and we explore how they are related- on a quantum or spiritual level- and how the act of reading is itself is a mechanism of connecting with another being, the writer, across time. Ozeki masterfully draws from Western and Eastern philosophies' musings on life and death, suicide and the meaning of existence.

Plus, the whole thing starts off with a pun! It both a "Tale for the Time Being" in that it is written of the present moment, as much as it is a tale written for a human time being, capable of existing in various expanses of time through the act of reading.

5 out of 5 stars: Extremely powerful and engaging, with a wide cast of well-developed, complex characters (some borderline autobiographical*).


* Ruth Ozeki is a novelist and Zen Buddhist priest. And much like the protagonist of the novel, she too is married to a Canadian artist named Oliver. So, guess it's a true story, calling it!

Homesick for Another World

Homesick for Another World
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Published: January 2017

Collection of short stories that I can only describe as grimy mumblecore. Some characters are tragic and relatable but most are just creepy and desperate and downright repulsive. I'm all about skeevy unlikable narrators so nothing wrong with that outright. There were a few stories in the bunch I really liked, gross protag or not. But all of them heaped together was a bit much, especially with the overlapping obsessive stalkers, disenchanted alcoholics, aggressively naive teens, etc.

3 out of 5 stars: Some of these stuck their landing brilliantly, but others I felt wanting. I'm currently on my library's hold list for  Eileen, so I can't wait to get a better feel for Moshfegh's voice.

The Reason You're Alive

The Reason You're Alive 
by Matthew Quick
Published: July 2017

 First off, the narrator is essentially Cotton from King of the Hill: a crotchety, politically incorrect Vietnam vet who will be played by Robert de Niro when this inevitably becomes a motion picture. The story itself reads like a memoir as he chronicles his recovery from brain surgery, trying to understand his bleeding heart art collector son, and making peace with his tumultuous past.

4 out of 5 stars: It was very eye-opening to read a book written from the perspective of an ultra-patriotic conservative- there is no shying away from issues such as racism, homophobia, mental health, nationalism and gender roles. Whether or not I agreed, I feel like I now better appreciate how people reach those conclusions.

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky 
by Lesley Nneka Arimah

What it Means When a Man Falls from the Sky is a collection of stories set in Nigeria that explore the bleakness of existence, the infusion of ancient fables in a cultural narrative, and a disquietingly dystopian brand of magical-realism. The stories themselves could stand alone*, but as a well-crafted collection their emotional weight is magnified. Though each of the stories individually grapples with grief, self-preservation, and mending the fabric of torn families, each reaches a gnawing depth somehow more heartbreaking than the last.

* One of the stories was independently published in the New Yorker (Oct 2015), "Who Will Greet You At Home" and gives a taste of the collection's more fantastical side.

5 out of 5 stars: I love me some morbid reality, toss in some ancient parables and post-apocalyptic futures and I am beyond sold.

Goodbye, Vitamin

Goodbye, Vitamin

by Rachel Khong

Published: July 2017

Simply put, the journal entries of a young woman maneuvering a failing relationship, complicated family dynamics and father diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Poignant moments nestle within lighthearted journal blurbs keep it short, sweet, but incredibly moving (the dad's notes on his daughter's childhood had me welling up something fierce).

4.5 out of 5 stars. Anyone else who has witnessed the slow fading of a loved one's dignity and sense of self as their family helplessly stands by in support will find bits and pieces of their own story in these pages.

Station Eleven

Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel
Published: Sept 2014

A post-apocalyptic tapestry of narratives that seamlessly weave various points of view across a fragmented timeline. The story itself is surprisingly believable and very well executed, grounded and incredibly moving. Honestly this seems like the sort of novel that'll be assigned to future classes of reluctant high school English students. Learn about raw human nature, existentialism and social dramaturgy, all while quoting Shakespeare!

5 out of 5 stars: This was a pleasure to read.

Lincoln in the Bardo

Lincoln in the Bardo 
by George Saunders
Published: Feb 2017

In a style reminiscent of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern are Dead / Waiting for Godot, George Saunders manages to make an extremely somber subject playful and light-hearted. The broken narrative structure can be unsettling at first, but once you get into the rhythm, it flows intuitively.

5 out of 5 stars: I know I am definitely not alone in my appreciation of Saunders' voice, I honestly think he could write about anything and still hook us in. Sidenote: apparently the audiobook has David Sedaris, Nick Offerman and George Saunders himself as the three main characters so that might be a fun way to revisit the story!

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad 
by Colson Whitehead
Published: August 2016

This depiction of slavery in the South and the hopeless illusion of freedom in the North was genuinely hard to read. Cora's frantic travels across the country drag the reader through different regions, exploring complex perspectives on race relations, never quite escaping the moral necrosis of manifest destiny.

4 out of 5 stars: This is a tough book to review. On the one hand, it was difficult for me to get through it and for the most part was thoroughly unenjoyable. The gruesome treatment of slaves, free folk and sympathizers was obviously extremely unsettling, but more subtly, I felt a distance between myself and the main character and her dispassionate narrative. But when I think about the story itself, of course it's not going to be enjoyable, it's about slavery for fuck's sake. And Cora's tone throughout the novel just reflects the detachment she feels from the journey, from her surroundings, from her life. What an awful blemish on the history of the States.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena 
by Anthony Marra
Published: May 2013

Interwoven narratives of civilians in a rural village of Chechnya and how their lives progress amidst the first and second Chechen wars. Beautifully composed, heartbreaking, and optimistic in the strength people find when pushed to their limits. While this is a work of fiction, many of the stories and experiences come from nonfiction work - which honestly makes the story's impact that much more devastating.

5 out of 5 stars: I maybe cried. Quite a bit.

Sweetbitter

Sweetbitter
by Stephanie Danler
Published: May 2016

 At times fantastically poignant, at times cringey: overall, Danler pierces the core of being a hot mess young adult living in New York City. Though I can't relate to working in the service industry, the descriptions of food and booze are mouthwatering and informative- almost makes me want to get into wine.

3.5 out of 5 stars: Beautiful writing, I so enjoyed the ride. But (as a former hot mess of a young adult living in New York City) I found the main character a bit tiresome. Not that I've got self-awareness in spades...

Spaceman of Bohemia

Spaceman of Bohemia 
by Jaroslav Kalfar
Published: March 2017


So imagine "The Martian" was set in the wreckage of communist Czech Republic and instead of a smirking Matt Damon, our plucky protagonist is a somber space-dust researcher, tormented by childhood demons and constantly teetering on the brink of existential crisis. Anyway, LOVED IT.

5 out of 5 stars

A Manual for Cleaning Women

A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories 
by Lucia Berlin
Published: Aug 2015

It seems an autobiography of Lucia Berlin's life was shattered and scattered into different characters and short stories, each giving insight into some facet but none capturing its entirety. Emotionally weighty and quite dark, NYT captured the essence perfectly: "There are stories about cancer and abortions and beatings and desperate addictions; sexual abuse lingers behind others. Deep loneliness is a near constant."

3.5 out of 5 stars