Questions About The Mars Room

by Rachel Kushner (Goodreads Author)

Reader Q&A

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Answered Questions (26)

What was the identity of the hermit in the cabin who destroyed property of those he thought were invading his privacy?

Dougie Those are specifically extracts from the diaries of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, whose diaries had been given to Gordon to read by his friend Alex.

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David Angel Hi, I really loved this book. That having been said, I've been a prosecutor in California for over twenty years, and this sentence makes no sense to m…moreHi, I really loved this book. That having been said, I've been a prosecutor in California for over twenty years, and this sentence makes no sense to me. A first degree murder carries a sentence of 25-life, meaning that she would be eligible for parole in 25 years. If you murder more than one person you can get a 50 to life sentence. If it was a so called "special circumstances" murder (which does not appear to be the case here), she could get Life without the possibility of parole (LWOP). So, on the one hand the sentence doesn't make a lot of sense. That having been said, one theme of this novel is that people are often not accurate in either their memories or what they tell you about their past. This is especially true when they are talking about something that is both traumatizing and puts them in a bad life. It could be this error is intentional in that Romy either doesn't understand her legal case, or she is not willing to share another crime. (less)

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I was captivated by the characters in the book and came to realize that the narrative also described various aspects of our society in insightful ways. My question is about the Ted Kaczynski journal excerpts in the context of the novel. As stand-alone narratives they are chilling, but what are they doing in this novel? I can feel a connection but can't quite connect them. What does anyone make of these?

Laura I am super interested in how the men secluding themselves in nature juxtaposes the women being forcibly secluded in ad seg but also forced to interact…moreI am super interested in how the men secluding themselves in nature juxtaposes the women being forcibly secluded in ad seg but also forced to interact with so many people daily when they are back in the cells.

I had the thought that maybe she wanted to have all three literary battles going on. Man vs. Man, Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Self(less)

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What do you think about the ending? Does it end positively in your opinion?