--- product_id: 126247503 title: "The Mars Room: A Novel" price: "฿1205" currency: THB in_stock: true reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/126247503-the-mars-room-a-novel store_origin: TH region: Thailand --- # The Mars Room: A Novel **Price:** ฿1205 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Mars Room: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** ฿1205 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.th](https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/126247503-the-mars-room-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: The Mars Room: A Novel: 9781476756585: Kushner, Rachel: Books Review: Unprotected custody - The eponymous Mars Room is a strip club in San Francisco, where the protagonist, Romy, age 29, used to work. She liked it, because she made good money and could buy drugs, get high, and the money helped support her son, Jackson (who is now seven). Romy won’t see him anymore, though, because she is serving two life sentences plus six years. This is mostly a narrative about Romy’s life in prison, and her thoughts, and the claustrophobic existence she lives and breathes now, and her granular memories of life before. She got a raw deal, although she did live a life of crimes and misdemeanors. “I was assigned a public defender, We were all hopeful things would go differently. They did not go differently. They went this way.” The novel flows with gallows humor—I would almost call it gulag humor. This is no Orange is the New Black. The women don’t have white teeth and shining hair. They don’t have hope beyond the walls, either. But they do form a family, of sorts, with each other. Romy is an intelligent woman, never had a break. But didn’t much look for one, either. She threw the opportunities away and aimed low, but you’ll empathize with her. She’s so human, and doesn’t deserve to be treated like an animal, just because she lived an animal existence before, and didn’t really spend meaningful time doing meaningful activities. She did have a boyfriend and a hideous stalker. She unpacks her life in bits and pieces, but it all fills in within the cracks and scars. Romy muses on San Francisco, the city that outsiders think is lovely and exciting and fun. For Romy, it is not. She grew up here with her mother, and is not sentimental. “The city to us was clammy fingers of fog working their way into our clothes, always those clammy fingers… The city was wet feet and soggy cigarettes at a rainy kegger in the Grove.” Her mother took care of Jackson when Romy went to jail, her mother the chain-smoking German that named Romy after a German actress who told a bank robber on television that she liked him. A lot. Well, you get the picture. Romy expands that picture in her contracted world. This isn’t a face-paced novel, but the pages turn with a grainy 8 mm-like visual and a steady, sinuous rhythm. The plot is just enough to have a bit of an arc, but mostly it is a portrait of different kinds of grim restriction—imposed by the self or the system. There’s a number of very colorful and sinister people, and then there’s the femaile prisoners who are lifers caught up and damned by the prison system. Then there’s Gordon, a paid English teacher that works in the prison and who forms a constricted connection with Romy. They share a love of literature and loneliness. He gave up a more trapped academic life with attachments to live in a remote, isolated cabin, where he reads Thoreau and observes the natural world. Gordon gave up a girlfriend who he was glad to sever from his life, because women with need incited his escape instincts. “You had to mask your own ambivalence and pretend to be in love one hundred percent of the time, and he’d rather swim in a lake of hellfire.” But the remote life doesn’t necessarily expand his mind and calm his soul. Instead, things just become more skewed and he becomes more confined in his thoughts. Kushner has written three very different novels. She’s that rare author that also has more than one writing style, but many of her characters are fighting oppressed or reduced circumstances. She also finds these intriguing niches of humanity—a cabaret dancer, an anarchist, a French agitator, a woman biker, avant garde artists, poseurs, and others who dazzle the pages. And her main protagonists, like Kushner herself, are acute observers. In THE MARS ROOM, I felt as if I were seeing with Romy’s sharp and weary eyes. Provocative, brutal, and unsentimental, the story bites but also finds a few sweet spots in the slammer. Review: Weep for them, despise them...the characters will get into your conscience, - If you wonder how people living on the edge look at life, this book offers a believable, tragic, yet darkly humorous perspective. We meet some bruised but hopeful people who keep trying for a livable existence. Of particular merit are the descriptions of life inside low-level womens’ prisons: much less civilized than what’s portrayed in OITNB. There’s valid male perspective, also. And several questions are offered, about the inevitability of life, once choices are made. This all may sound moralistic and dry...it’s NOT! The characters presented will make you want to mother them- or wish you could have, back when they were kids. Plus: we’re given a crash course in the really seamy part of San Francisco! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #151,393 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1,983 in Serial Killer Thrillers #2,450 in Murder Thrillers #5,697 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars (5,295) | | Dimensions | 5.25 x 0.9 x 8 inches | | Edition | Reprint | | ISBN-10 | 1476756589 | | ISBN-13 | 978-1476756585 | | Item Weight | 8.8 ounces | | Language | English | | Print length | 352 pages | | Publication date | May 7, 2019 | | Publisher | Scribner | ## Images ![The Mars Room: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71qCmYxesxL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unprotected custody *by S***N on June 14, 2018* The eponymous Mars Room is a strip club in San Francisco, where the protagonist, Romy, age 29, used to work. She liked it, because she made good money and could buy drugs, get high, and the money helped support her son, Jackson (who is now seven). Romy won’t see him anymore, though, because she is serving two life sentences plus six years. This is mostly a narrative about Romy’s life in prison, and her thoughts, and the claustrophobic existence she lives and breathes now, and her granular memories of life before. She got a raw deal, although she did live a life of crimes and misdemeanors. “I was assigned a public defender, We were all hopeful things would go differently. They did not go differently. They went this way.” The novel flows with gallows humor—I would almost call it gulag humor. This is no Orange is the New Black. The women don’t have white teeth and shining hair. They don’t have hope beyond the walls, either. But they do form a family, of sorts, with each other. Romy is an intelligent woman, never had a break. But didn’t much look for one, either. She threw the opportunities away and aimed low, but you’ll empathize with her. She’s so human, and doesn’t deserve to be treated like an animal, just because she lived an animal existence before, and didn’t really spend meaningful time doing meaningful activities. She did have a boyfriend and a hideous stalker. She unpacks her life in bits and pieces, but it all fills in within the cracks and scars. Romy muses on San Francisco, the city that outsiders think is lovely and exciting and fun. For Romy, it is not. She grew up here with her mother, and is not sentimental. “The city to us was clammy fingers of fog working their way into our clothes, always those clammy fingers… The city was wet feet and soggy cigarettes at a rainy kegger in the Grove.” Her mother took care of Jackson when Romy went to jail, her mother the chain-smoking German that named Romy after a German actress who told a bank robber on television that she liked him. A lot. Well, you get the picture. Romy expands that picture in her contracted world. This isn’t a face-paced novel, but the pages turn with a grainy 8 mm-like visual and a steady, sinuous rhythm. The plot is just enough to have a bit of an arc, but mostly it is a portrait of different kinds of grim restriction—imposed by the self or the system. There’s a number of very colorful and sinister people, and then there’s the femaile prisoners who are lifers caught up and damned by the prison system. Then there’s Gordon, a paid English teacher that works in the prison and who forms a constricted connection with Romy. They share a love of literature and loneliness. He gave up a more trapped academic life with attachments to live in a remote, isolated cabin, where he reads Thoreau and observes the natural world. Gordon gave up a girlfriend who he was glad to sever from his life, because women with need incited his escape instincts. “You had to mask your own ambivalence and pretend to be in love one hundred percent of the time, and he’d rather swim in a lake of hellfire.” But the remote life doesn’t necessarily expand his mind and calm his soul. Instead, things just become more skewed and he becomes more confined in his thoughts. Kushner has written three very different novels. She’s that rare author that also has more than one writing style, but many of her characters are fighting oppressed or reduced circumstances. She also finds these intriguing niches of humanity—a cabaret dancer, an anarchist, a French agitator, a woman biker, avant garde artists, poseurs, and others who dazzle the pages. And her main protagonists, like Kushner herself, are acute observers. In THE MARS ROOM, I felt as if I were seeing with Romy’s sharp and weary eyes. Provocative, brutal, and unsentimental, the story bites but also finds a few sweet spots in the slammer. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Weep for them, despise them...the characters will get into your conscience, *by E***P on May 21, 2018* If you wonder how people living on the edge look at life, this book offers a believable, tragic, yet darkly humorous perspective. We meet some bruised but hopeful people who keep trying for a livable existence. Of particular merit are the descriptions of life inside low-level womens’ prisons: much less civilized than what’s portrayed in OITNB. There’s valid male perspective, also. And several questions are offered, about the inevitability of life, once choices are made. This all may sound moralistic and dry...it’s NOT! The characters presented will make you want to mother them- or wish you could have, back when they were kids. Plus: we’re given a crash course in the really seamy part of San Francisco! ### ⭐⭐⭐ Did not quite live up to the hype *by D***E on April 24, 2024* Kushner's writing style is immersive, drawing readers into the harsh realities of incarceration and the struggles faced by those trapped within its walls. The novel's exploration of themes such as survival, justice, and the human spirit provokes thought and reflection long after the last page is turned. However, despite its compelling narrative and vivid characters, "The Mars Room" can at times feel disjointed and meandering. The nonlinear structure may be disorienting for some readers, making it challenging to fully connect with the story's progression. Additionally, while the novel sheds light on important social issues such as poverty, addiction, and the failures of the justice system, it occasionally lacks the depth needed to fully explore these complex topics. Overall, "The Mars Room" is a thought-provoking read that offers a unique perspective on life behind bars. While it may not be without its flaws, Kushner's powerful storytelling and vivid imagery make it a worthwhile addition to any reader's bookshelf, especially for those interested in delving into the darker corners of society. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/126247503-the-mars-room-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/126247503-the-mars-room-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Thailand* *Store origin: TH* *Last updated: 2026-04-25*