LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2018THENEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER'Kushner is one of our most outstanding modern writers.' STYLIST'More knowing about prison life than Orange Is The New Black...so powerful.' NEW YORK TIMES'Breathtaking.' VOGUERomy Hall is at the start of two consecutive life sentences, plus six years, at Stanville Women?s Correctional Facility. Outside is the world from which she has been permanently severed- the San Francisco of her youth, changed almost beyond recognition. The Mars Room strip club where she once gave lap dances for a living. And her seven-year-old son, Jackson, now in the care of Romy?s estranged mother.Inside is a new reality to adapt to- thousands of women hustling for the bare essentials needed to survive. The relentlessly deadpan absurdities of institutional living, which Kushner details with humour and precision. Daily acts of violence by guards and prisoners alike. Allegiances formed over liquor brewed in socks, and stories shared through sewage pipes. Romy sees the future stretch out ahead of her in a long, unwavering line - until news from outside brings a ferocious urgency to her existence, challenging her to escape her own destiny and culminating in a climax of almost unbearable intensity. Through Romy - and through a cast of astonishing characters populating Mars Room- Rachel Kushner presents not just a bold and unsentimental panorama of life on the margins of contemporary America, but an excoriating attack on the prison-industrial complex.
Rachel Kushner
Rachel Kushner is an American novelist known for her critically acclaimed works that explore themes of art, politics, and society. Her most notable works include "The Flamethrowers" and "The Mars Room," both of which have been praised for their vivid prose and incisive commentary on contemporary culture. Kushner's writing style is characterized by its sharp wit, complex characters, and meticulous attention to detail. She has been celebrated for her ability to capture the complexities of human experience and the intricacies of power dynamics in her storytelling. "The Flamethrowers" was a finalist for the National Book Award and received widespread acclaim for its bold narrative and richly drawn characters. Rachel Kushner's contributions to literature have had a significant impact on the literary genre, influencing a new generation of writers with her innovative approach to storytelling and her insightful exploration of the human condition.
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