The Mars Room

All my life I have had an irrational fear of being falsely accused of a crime and going to prison.  Must come from watching too may Alfred Hitchcock movies.  False imprisonment turned up time and time again in his movies, a theme resulting from a boyhood trauma.  Biographers tell us Alfred's father hauled him to the police station once when the little guy had violated some household rule.  Alfred was locked in a cell where he spent the night and banked much inspiration for future films.  

In The Mars Room, convicted murderer, Romy Hall, tells the story of her escapades in the Haight followed two consecutive life in prison sentences. Fiction, yes aided by author Rachel Kushner's aggressive research, and hours of inmate interviews. This book was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award so you know there's good stuff in store. 

Romy shares her story in a straightforward manner, no passion. no apologies.  She started her career early - around age ten  - cruising the gut and drinking beer with an older, edgy, and dangerous crowd.  She never escapes that life, nor does she try.  Kushner takes us places in the novel with visually exciting passages.  A stip club. The dark corner homes of drug dealers.  Cars with tinted windows hiding hit men and their customers.  

Romy's diary does not show us an angry woman, defensive, and living to get even.  The grit comes not from her, in fact she is rather cavalier about her life behind bars. The grit comes form what she sees, and her interactions with the tribe she gathers.In addition to portraying prison life as a microcosmic, invisible society, The Mars Room exposes our sadly flawed society, and our flawed justice system.

Today, I am happy to be free, and behind my keyboard where I am truly comfortable.  No shanks in this blogger's life.

Thanks for stopping by.