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A Room Called Earth
An unforgettable story of a fiercely original young woman, whose radical perspective illuminates a new way of being in the world
As a full moon rises over Melbourne, Australia, a young woman gets ready for a party. And what appears to be an ordinary night out is--through the prism of her singular perspective--extraordinary. As the evening unfolds, each encounter she has reveals the vast discrepancies between what she is thinking and feeling, and what she is able to say. And there's so much she'd like to say. So when she meets a man and a genuine connection occurs, it's nothing short of a miracle. However, it isn't until she invites him home that we come to appreciate the humanity beneath the labels we cling to, and we can grasp the pleasure of what it means to be alive.
The debut novel from the inimitable Madeleine Ryan, A Room Called Earth is a humorous and heartwarming adventure inside the mind of a bright and dynamic woman. This hyper-saturated celebration of love and acceptance, from a neurodiverse writer, is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another.
As a full moon rises over Melbourne, Australia, a young woman gets ready for a party. And what appears to be an ordinary night out is--through the prism of her singular perspective--extraordinary. As the evening unfolds, each encounter she has reveals the vast discrepancies between what she is thinking and feeling, and what she is able to say. And there's so much she'd like to say. So when she meets a man and a genuine connection occurs, it's nothing short of a miracle. However, it isn't until she invites him home that we come to appreciate the humanity beneath the labels we cling to, and we can grasp the pleasure of what it means to be alive.
The debut novel from the inimitable Madeleine Ryan, A Room Called Earth is a humorous and heartwarming adventure inside the mind of a bright and dynamic woman. This hyper-saturated celebration of love and acceptance, from a neurodiverse writer, is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another.
290 pages, Paperback
First published August 18, 2020
253 people are currently reading
12734 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Ryan
2 books172 followersMadeleine Ryan is an Australian writer, director & author. A Room Called Earth was her first novel. Her second novel, The Knowing, is out now. Her third novel, love, honour & obey, is due 2026. Her articles & essays have appeared in The New York Times, Vogue, SBS, The Sydney Morning Herald & VICE.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 741 reviews
August 23, 2020
I was anxious to read this book after reading this article by Madeline Ryan . Even if you choose not to read her novel, I highly recommend the article anyway because Ryan will not only teach you something about autism and yourself, she will move you. I am so glad I read both .
(https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/pa...)
I’m not sure when I last encountered a character who knows herself as well as the unnamed character in this novel or one who is so fully accepting of who she is even though she isn’t like a lot of people around her. She’s getting ready for a party for a good part of the book. Her preparation is sensual- the scent and beauty of her gardens, the feel of the silk kimono and black high heels she going to wear to the party. It’s sexual as she remembers past encounters with ex boyfriends. It’s intellectual and as she thinks about so many things- what it means to be Australian, the books she reads. This stream of consciousness is so intimate. There were times when I felt as if I was eavesdropping by being right there in her head.
At the party, it’s painfully evident how alone and separate she is from the rest of the people there, including an ex boyfriend and a woman she brunched with. She speaks with them, but is glad when the encounters are over. Yet, her underlying desire to connect and find someone who connects with her is real and relatable. She’s self aware in this first person narrative which is so intimate, so honest, reflecting the kind of gutsy honesty most of us wish we had with others and ourselves. There are many layers to this woman. This will turn on its head any presupposed ideas you may have had about autism. It’s unique, sometimes quirky, many times beautiful. I learned and I was touched .
I received an email copy of this book from Penguin Books through NetGalley and Edelweiss .
June 13, 2021
As an autistic women I had high hopes for this book just as I have high hopes for any autistic rep in media, especially female autistic rep. This was reinforced with the overwhelming positive reviews I’ve found for this book before I bought it and committed to reading it. But from the very first sentence “I decided to wear a kimono and high heels to the party because I wanted people to see me in a kimono and high heels at the party” I knew I was about to be in for an absolute trash fire of a story.
From the main characters insistence that she does things only to please herself and everyone else, especially other women, seem to only to do things to project an image onto others of how they want to be perceived, (seemingly oblivious to the fact that the outfit she is wearing she specifically states she picked to project an image of herself), to her questionable insights into sexuality and her downright offensive comments about medication for both mental and physical health the main character of this story has almost no redeemable qualities.
I honestly cannot believe that the phrase “meditation not medication” was published in this day and age. I had to actually put the book down a walk away when I read that particular line because I was so overwhelmed with disgust that a person who is a part of this community and should know better would ever write that. This is directly followed by the phrase “feelings should be felt with not dealt with” and my sentiments toward this statement are the same. Not only do phrases like this perpetuate the harmful narrative that people should “just deal with it” but phrases like this coming from a neurodivergent voice make it harder for those of us who need medication just to survive our feelings to 1. get it in the first place, because having a platform you have the ability to influence neurotypical people’s outlook on medication especially for mental health purposes and 2. has the potential to make many people feel bad for taking medication in the first place when they shouldn’t. To anyone who felt triggered or insulted by that particular titbit in this story I’m sorry, don’t ever let anyone tell you how to feel about making sure you are healthy both mentally and physically.
Later on this the story it’s revealed that the main character also once told a boyfriend WHILE HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL that if he embraced his bowel issues (issues that were severe enough for him to, again, be in a hospital) then maybe he would find strength in them and wouldn’t see them as such an issue but as a gift. This is not only offensive but utterly stupid.
This character and her “insights” into society are judgmental and hypocritical at best and at worst she is embodying many harmful stereotypes of autistic women that we as a community try very hard to fight. While I empathise with her struggles with communication I also know that expecting someone to change their communication style to suit me is just as bad as them expecting me to change mine to suit them, something that this character seems entirely unaware of. Communication is about compromise. She is upset that people ask about her clothes, despite stating that she wore those clothes so people would see them, she gets upset that people want to ask about her job or basically anything else because “she is more than that” which, yes is true, but maybe people just want to get to know you and your refusal to participate in these everyday discussions is just rude. Actual communication problems that many autistics deal with such as sensory issues such as overwhelming noise that is often a problem at parties or people taking offence at our lack of eye contact despite eye contact being proven to cause many autistic people including myself physical pain during conversations are not addressed at all.
Her inability to recognise her own privilege is also quite frankly disgusting. To live in a mansion and not have to work and live off of inheritance is a level of privilege very very few have and she claims that “the universe provided” these things to her. A reduction of what I understand to be three generations of wealth left to her by academics and real estate investors. The universe didn’t provide. Your ancestors and their own particular privilege which allowed them to accumulate such wealth provided.
Overall this book is an absolute train wreak. It’s filled to the brim with stereotypes of the rude and ‘deeply misunderstood’ autistic female who has no sense of what the world is actually like and this story doesn’t show at all how hard it is for us to get along inside of a world not built for us but simply portrays a privileged women who seems to think she’s better than everyone else. Her interactions with the world and other people range from apathetic to offensive. And her various observations of people’s behaviour, again mostly of other women, seem overwhelming judgmental or just cruel. I really tried to find some redeeming qualities of this story but the only one I found in nearly 300 pages is that I liked that her cat’s name was Porkchop. All I can say is don’t waste your time with this book.
From the main characters insistence that she does things only to please herself and everyone else, especially other women, seem to only to do things to project an image onto others of how they want to be perceived, (seemingly oblivious to the fact that the outfit she is wearing she specifically states she picked to project an image of herself), to her questionable insights into sexuality and her downright offensive comments about medication for both mental and physical health the main character of this story has almost no redeemable qualities.
I honestly cannot believe that the phrase “meditation not medication” was published in this day and age. I had to actually put the book down a walk away when I read that particular line because I was so overwhelmed with disgust that a person who is a part of this community and should know better would ever write that. This is directly followed by the phrase “feelings should be felt with not dealt with” and my sentiments toward this statement are the same. Not only do phrases like this perpetuate the harmful narrative that people should “just deal with it” but phrases like this coming from a neurodivergent voice make it harder for those of us who need medication just to survive our feelings to 1. get it in the first place, because having a platform you have the ability to influence neurotypical people’s outlook on medication especially for mental health purposes and 2. has the potential to make many people feel bad for taking medication in the first place when they shouldn’t. To anyone who felt triggered or insulted by that particular titbit in this story I’m sorry, don’t ever let anyone tell you how to feel about making sure you are healthy both mentally and physically.
Later on this the story it’s revealed that the main character also once told a boyfriend WHILE HE WAS IN THE HOSPITAL that if he embraced his bowel issues (issues that were severe enough for him to, again, be in a hospital) then maybe he would find strength in them and wouldn’t see them as such an issue but as a gift. This is not only offensive but utterly stupid.
This character and her “insights” into society are judgmental and hypocritical at best and at worst she is embodying many harmful stereotypes of autistic women that we as a community try very hard to fight. While I empathise with her struggles with communication I also know that expecting someone to change their communication style to suit me is just as bad as them expecting me to change mine to suit them, something that this character seems entirely unaware of. Communication is about compromise. She is upset that people ask about her clothes, despite stating that she wore those clothes so people would see them, she gets upset that people want to ask about her job or basically anything else because “she is more than that” which, yes is true, but maybe people just want to get to know you and your refusal to participate in these everyday discussions is just rude. Actual communication problems that many autistics deal with such as sensory issues such as overwhelming noise that is often a problem at parties or people taking offence at our lack of eye contact despite eye contact being proven to cause many autistic people including myself physical pain during conversations are not addressed at all.
Her inability to recognise her own privilege is also quite frankly disgusting. To live in a mansion and not have to work and live off of inheritance is a level of privilege very very few have and she claims that “the universe provided” these things to her. A reduction of what I understand to be three generations of wealth left to her by academics and real estate investors. The universe didn’t provide. Your ancestors and their own particular privilege which allowed them to accumulate such wealth provided.
Overall this book is an absolute train wreak. It’s filled to the brim with stereotypes of the rude and ‘deeply misunderstood’ autistic female who has no sense of what the world is actually like and this story doesn’t show at all how hard it is for us to get along inside of a world not built for us but simply portrays a privileged women who seems to think she’s better than everyone else. Her interactions with the world and other people range from apathetic to offensive. And her various observations of people’s behaviour, again mostly of other women, seem overwhelming judgmental or just cruel. I really tried to find some redeeming qualities of this story but the only one I found in nearly 300 pages is that I liked that her cat’s name was Porkchop. All I can say is don’t waste your time with this book.
December 21, 2020
This is such multidimensional story of an autistic young woman making her way in the world. The way she visualizes in such a depth that I can smell and feel scents and live a life completely different yet in the simplest ways.
Sounds and visuals are so acute and over stimulating.
But this woman, whose name is not known, is going to a party that takes her a couple of days to prepare for - in a red kimono. And she meets a man waiting for the washroom.
This was an experiential Journey. So insightful into how a person with autism relates with others and interacts with their environment.
It was....overpowering. But not in a negative way. But daily, she has coped and managed it and is very confident with whom she is.
It was startling beautiful with the contrasts of perceptions.
The author herself has autism. We don’t need to look at is an illness or deviation - it’s just a difference and recognizing that is part of acceptance.
4⭐️
Sounds and visuals are so acute and over stimulating.
But this woman, whose name is not known, is going to a party that takes her a couple of days to prepare for - in a red kimono. And she meets a man waiting for the washroom.
This was an experiential Journey. So insightful into how a person with autism relates with others and interacts with their environment.
It was....overpowering. But not in a negative way. But daily, she has coped and managed it and is very confident with whom she is.
It was startling beautiful with the contrasts of perceptions.
The author herself has autism. We don’t need to look at is an illness or deviation - it’s just a difference and recognizing that is part of acceptance.
4⭐️
October 25, 2023
The Ethics of Conversation
Too girly for me to understand, at least initially. Is this young woman confident or just faking it, self-aware or self-obsessed, empowered or entitled? The first part of the book seems impenetrable without the secret code of the new young feminism. I have no doubt that such creatures exist but to me they are as incomprehensible as inter-stellar aliens.
She likes parties, and being seen, and one-night stands, and make-up, and her body, and her cat (because it stares at her), and her garden (largely because of the smells, including the plants that have the scent of sperm). But as far as I could tell, she has no taste, no criteria to distinguish between the good and less good, except her momentary whims.
She has opinions about everything - whiteness, colonialism, poverty, conformism, and competition, to name but several of her bugbears. But she has no suggestions - political, technological, or personal - for improving ‘social or environmental conditions. She seems resigned to her irrelevance: “All I have to offer Australian soil is the sound of my high heels slamming against the pavement…”
She doesn’t do drugs but takes her own vodka to parties. Apparently, for her, drugs interfere with one’s sovereign will; but alcohol of the right sort is merely a relaxant. Acutely aware of other people and their thoughts, she scores fairly high up the spectrum when it comes to casual interaction. At the party she so much wanted to join: “I’m weaving between them all and avoiding eye contact, because if I happened to lock eyes with somebody, they’d see that I had something to say, and that’d be embarrassing, because I wouldn’t say it.” Not that the self-absorbed folk in her social circle appear to notice. In the land of the blind… etc.
And then, incredibly, she starts to be something else: “…it always seemed to me that if there’s an objective reality that we all share, it has to be wordless.” And she’s aware of the problematic implications of this: “Parting ways with someone or something doesn’t always make sense, so people often create reasons to be angry and resentful, because it weaves a stronger narrative around the process of letting go.” Suddenly she’s profound not silly: “I find that I have a much deeper appreciation for my fellow human beings when their mouths are shut.”
From that point onward it becomes clear that the young woman may be more thoughtful, more interesting, even more wise than the author has let on. Although I can’t agree with her radical existentialism and quasi-Zen philosophy, I recognise that her views are still advanced for her stage in life. She has something to say. She is articulate about saying it. And she knows that by saying it she’ll change nothing in the world but herself. Her every thought is ironic.
To reproach her youthful excesses would therefore be callous. Her central conclusions are sound: Most conversation is weaponised drivel. That of men is physically as well as linguistically dangerous. Women alienate themselves from each other in their conversations out of fear of men. Yet somehow human life persists.
Too girly for me to understand, at least initially. Is this young woman confident or just faking it, self-aware or self-obsessed, empowered or entitled? The first part of the book seems impenetrable without the secret code of the new young feminism. I have no doubt that such creatures exist but to me they are as incomprehensible as inter-stellar aliens.
She likes parties, and being seen, and one-night stands, and make-up, and her body, and her cat (because it stares at her), and her garden (largely because of the smells, including the plants that have the scent of sperm). But as far as I could tell, she has no taste, no criteria to distinguish between the good and less good, except her momentary whims.
She has opinions about everything - whiteness, colonialism, poverty, conformism, and competition, to name but several of her bugbears. But she has no suggestions - political, technological, or personal - for improving ‘social or environmental conditions. She seems resigned to her irrelevance: “All I have to offer Australian soil is the sound of my high heels slamming against the pavement…”
She doesn’t do drugs but takes her own vodka to parties. Apparently, for her, drugs interfere with one’s sovereign will; but alcohol of the right sort is merely a relaxant. Acutely aware of other people and their thoughts, she scores fairly high up the spectrum when it comes to casual interaction. At the party she so much wanted to join: “I’m weaving between them all and avoiding eye contact, because if I happened to lock eyes with somebody, they’d see that I had something to say, and that’d be embarrassing, because I wouldn’t say it.” Not that the self-absorbed folk in her social circle appear to notice. In the land of the blind… etc.
And then, incredibly, she starts to be something else: “…it always seemed to me that if there’s an objective reality that we all share, it has to be wordless.” And she’s aware of the problematic implications of this: “Parting ways with someone or something doesn’t always make sense, so people often create reasons to be angry and resentful, because it weaves a stronger narrative around the process of letting go.” Suddenly she’s profound not silly: “I find that I have a much deeper appreciation for my fellow human beings when their mouths are shut.”
From that point onward it becomes clear that the young woman may be more thoughtful, more interesting, even more wise than the author has let on. Although I can’t agree with her radical existentialism and quasi-Zen philosophy, I recognise that her views are still advanced for her stage in life. She has something to say. She is articulate about saying it. And she knows that by saying it she’ll change nothing in the world but herself. Her every thought is ironic.
To reproach her youthful excesses would therefore be callous. Her central conclusions are sound: Most conversation is weaponised drivel. That of men is physically as well as linguistically dangerous. Women alienate themselves from each other in their conversations out of fear of men. Yet somehow human life persists.
September 18, 2020
I read this book in one sitting yesterday afternoon, and when I was done I shut it gently, rested it on my chest, and just lay there on the bed for a while, feeling the weight of the book on and within me. I don't know how to articulate what this book meant to me, but I want to try.
The narrator is never identified in the text as being autistic. In another book, this might bug me - the ambiguous autistic is a trope unto itself, just like the "I don't like labels" bisexual - but in this case, it was the right call. This isn't a book about autism, after all - it's a book about an autistic person, whose autism is not a singular, distinct piece of her identity, but instead is woven through her, informing her experiences and being informed by them. And while she knows herself very well, she spends the entire narrative among strangers, whose knowledge of her ends with what they can see and hear.
Would you guess that she was autistic, if it weren't all over the back cover and promo materials? Would you guess it about me? Maybe, but I think probably not. The signs are all there, but neither she nor I are white male detective savants, or little white boys with parents wearing blue puzzle piece t-shirts with slogans like "I love someone with autism." Neither are we unempathetic, or asexual, or uninterested in the interior lives of others. The woman in this book is deeply interested in other people, and deeply perceptive about their patterns of behavior, and how those patterns intersect with cultural messaging, and what they imply about internal thoughts and beliefs. Often as I read this book, I found myself murmuring, "Yes! Yes!" and rolling my feet around on my heels faster just to try to process the energy surge that came with those glorious shocks of recognition.
I'm a white American cis-gender woman. It would be a lie to say I haven't seen myself represented in books before. But I've never, ever seen myself represented like this. I've never seen my broad patterns of thought, my combination of deep sensual connection to my environment and disconnection from my emotions, my tendency towards constant social analysis reflected on the page in this way. When the narrator remembers a painful breakup, she doesn't talk about how it hurt - she says she yelled and cried. When she remembers ex-boyfriends' abusive or insensitive behavior, she talks about what she did afterwards, not what she felt. She admits to having difficulty connecting with people, and it's clear that it troubles her, but she also understands that the problem exists on both ends - others have difficulty connecting with her. They have work to do, too, if they want a connection.
I have often wondered why neurotypicals see autistics as puzzles to be solved, when from our perspective, it's neurotypicals who refuse to just say what they mean and insist on shrouding everything in subtext. Unlike the narrator, however, I've rarely been brave enough to call them on it. When she told the woman at the party, "I am not my kimono," it made me want to dance. I can't relate to wanting to go to a party, and I have never openly cut through the webbing of small talk to respond to what someone meant versus what they said, but I relate deeply to wondering why we have to keep going through these motions, and why neurotypicals feel their social bonds strengthen through acts that read to me as fundamentally insincere.
This book is beautifully written, and the author's decisions about what to say and what not to say and how far outside the narrator's perspective we're allowed to see are sharp and well-considered and overall perfect. It's not a gem, but a geode - sparkling and multifaceted, revealing more and more beauty the deeper in you go. This is a book that I will read again and again. Thank you, Madeleine Ryan, for writing it, and for sharing it. Thank you.
The narrator is never identified in the text as being autistic. In another book, this might bug me - the ambiguous autistic is a trope unto itself, just like the "I don't like labels" bisexual - but in this case, it was the right call. This isn't a book about autism, after all - it's a book about an autistic person, whose autism is not a singular, distinct piece of her identity, but instead is woven through her, informing her experiences and being informed by them. And while she knows herself very well, she spends the entire narrative among strangers, whose knowledge of her ends with what they can see and hear.
Would you guess that she was autistic, if it weren't all over the back cover and promo materials? Would you guess it about me? Maybe, but I think probably not. The signs are all there, but neither she nor I are white male detective savants, or little white boys with parents wearing blue puzzle piece t-shirts with slogans like "I love someone with autism." Neither are we unempathetic, or asexual, or uninterested in the interior lives of others. The woman in this book is deeply interested in other people, and deeply perceptive about their patterns of behavior, and how those patterns intersect with cultural messaging, and what they imply about internal thoughts and beliefs. Often as I read this book, I found myself murmuring, "Yes! Yes!" and rolling my feet around on my heels faster just to try to process the energy surge that came with those glorious shocks of recognition.
I'm a white American cis-gender woman. It would be a lie to say I haven't seen myself represented in books before. But I've never, ever seen myself represented like this. I've never seen my broad patterns of thought, my combination of deep sensual connection to my environment and disconnection from my emotions, my tendency towards constant social analysis reflected on the page in this way. When the narrator remembers a painful breakup, she doesn't talk about how it hurt - she says she yelled and cried. When she remembers ex-boyfriends' abusive or insensitive behavior, she talks about what she did afterwards, not what she felt. She admits to having difficulty connecting with people, and it's clear that it troubles her, but she also understands that the problem exists on both ends - others have difficulty connecting with her. They have work to do, too, if they want a connection.
I have often wondered why neurotypicals see autistics as puzzles to be solved, when from our perspective, it's neurotypicals who refuse to just say what they mean and insist on shrouding everything in subtext. Unlike the narrator, however, I've rarely been brave enough to call them on it. When she told the woman at the party, "I am not my kimono," it made me want to dance. I can't relate to wanting to go to a party, and I have never openly cut through the webbing of small talk to respond to what someone meant versus what they said, but I relate deeply to wondering why we have to keep going through these motions, and why neurotypicals feel their social bonds strengthen through acts that read to me as fundamentally insincere.
This book is beautifully written, and the author's decisions about what to say and what not to say and how far outside the narrator's perspective we're allowed to see are sharp and well-considered and overall perfect. It's not a gem, but a geode - sparkling and multifaceted, revealing more and more beauty the deeper in you go. This is a book that I will read again and again. Thank you, Madeleine Ryan, for writing it, and for sharing it. Thank you.
September 29, 2020
This is from the publisher's description of the book and I have to say, I totally don't get it:
"Humorous and heartwarming, and brimming with joy, this hyper-saturated celebration of acceptance is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another."
The good: I did love the narrator's insistence on BEING HOW SHE IS, forever and for always.
Less good: I did NOT love the narrator's disdainful superiority to nearly everyone around her, everywhere and all the time. Watching some guy at a party she observes: "He did this very insecure and un-ironic sideways movement with his eyes so as to gauge everyone else's reaction to what had just happened, probably because his way of measuring the validity, or morality, of any given situation is to assess the nature of everyone else's responses to it...His feelings don't matter to him. What everyone else thinks matters to him."
This book is so very full of judgmental moments such as this, which were neither humorous nor heartwarming, nor brimming with joy. At all.
It really, really got on my nerves.
And then, the dialogue. Mostly comprised of Hmm, umm, and yeah. Some examples:
"So, like, how have you...survived?"
"Umm."
"I'm just...in awe. I think."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"I don't know. Grief is pretty trippy."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"I'm exhausted."
"Yeah."
"Is it the middle of the day? Or?"
"It must be the afternoon by now."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Ok."
"Hmm."
So...yeah.
"Humorous and heartwarming, and brimming with joy, this hyper-saturated celebration of acceptance is a testament to moving through life without fear, and to opening ourselves up to a new way of relating to one another."
The good: I did love the narrator's insistence on BEING HOW SHE IS, forever and for always.
Less good: I did NOT love the narrator's disdainful superiority to nearly everyone around her, everywhere and all the time. Watching some guy at a party she observes: "He did this very insecure and un-ironic sideways movement with his eyes so as to gauge everyone else's reaction to what had just happened, probably because his way of measuring the validity, or morality, of any given situation is to assess the nature of everyone else's responses to it...His feelings don't matter to him. What everyone else thinks matters to him."
This book is so very full of judgmental moments such as this, which were neither humorous nor heartwarming, nor brimming with joy. At all.
It really, really got on my nerves.
And then, the dialogue. Mostly comprised of Hmm, umm, and yeah. Some examples:
"So, like, how have you...survived?"
"Umm."
"I'm just...in awe. I think."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"I don't know. Grief is pretty trippy."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
"I'm exhausted."
"Yeah."
"Is it the middle of the day? Or?"
"It must be the afternoon by now."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Ok."
"Hmm."
So...yeah.
August 29, 2021
After reading such great reviews for this book I feel like I’m on the outer on this one as I didn’t enjoy it as much as many other readers did. I was looking forward to reading this book, but unfortunately, it didn't do it for me.
Once I finished this book, I wondered what I didn't really like, but I couldn't find anything specific. I found I wasn’t invested in the story and my mind was somewhere else. To be fair, I’m going to put it down to reading it at the wrong time when I had to many other things on my mind and this might’ve been why it didn’t hold my interest. Perhaps one day I’ll pick it up again and have a different view of it, but for now it just wasn’t for me. But in saying that if you have this on your list to read, then I strongly suggest you read it as you might really enjoy it like many other people have. Recommended.
Once I finished this book, I wondered what I didn't really like, but I couldn't find anything specific. I found I wasn’t invested in the story and my mind was somewhere else. To be fair, I’m going to put it down to reading it at the wrong time when I had to many other things on my mind and this might’ve been why it didn’t hold my interest. Perhaps one day I’ll pick it up again and have a different view of it, but for now it just wasn’t for me. But in saying that if you have this on your list to read, then I strongly suggest you read it as you might really enjoy it like many other people have. Recommended.
August 9, 2020
Neurodiversity fascinates me, so I welcomed the opportunity to spend some time in the mind of the woman in this debut by Madeleine Ryan. It is, indeed, at times humorous and heartwarming and very honest. Sometimes the stream of consciousness vibe was a bit overwhelming for me and my linear brain. The last 10% was my favorite part and I don't want to spoil it, so enough said. I also want to share a favorite quote:
No matter how scary or intimidating a person may appear to be, we don't need to "protect" ourselves from them. As long as we can turn our experiences into love, there's no need to waste time and energy being frightened, or trying to stop things and people from coming in or going out.
Thank you to Penguin Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
No matter how scary or intimidating a person may appear to be, we don't need to "protect" ourselves from them. As long as we can turn our experiences into love, there's no need to waste time and energy being frightened, or trying to stop things and people from coming in or going out.
Thank you to Penguin Books and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
January 5, 2024
i wish i had this experience of neurodivergence instead of the one where you have to fight to survive in an allistic capitalist hellscape
April 19, 2021
I so wanted to love this, but I just didn't. The narrator is deeply unlikeable, which is fine; most of my favourite books have unlikeable narrators, and I think they're usually more interesting that way. However, she also commits the cardinal sin of being deeply, deeply boring. Most of her internal monologue is just 'everyone around me seeks validation from others, and that's bad and shallow. I, on the other hand, like crystals and astrology, and I also live alone in a mansion and don't have to work, meaning I have ample time to just meditate and think about the interconnectedness of All Things, so clearly I am the only one who understands the universe,' and that's fine, but not when the book is 300 pages and there very literally is no plot.
This novel is presented as an illuminating window into neurodivergence, and there are moments where it works and where I felt Perceived in ways that made me really want to love this book, but the vast majority of it is literally just a super privileged white girl talking about, like, people's energy, and how shallow everyone is all around her because they only care about what others think of them, even though the book opens with her talking about the fact that she's wearing a kimono to a party because she wants people to see her wearing a kimono. This is a novel devoid of any self-reflection or self-awareness, and I think that's its ultimate failure. We never learn anything real about the main character because she's only capable of thinking about herself on a surface level, which just doesn't work when the entire novel is character-driven and takes place inside the narrator's head. Neurodivergent people aren't inherently incapable of those things, and it chafes that the protagonist being autistic might be presented as the reason for its absence.
I know that the narrator of a book is not its author, but this book really felt like the author believed she had a lot to say and decided to use the protagonist as a vehicle for her various musings on topics such as toxic relationships, the lack of indigenous rights in Australia, and the prevalence of rape culture, and it doesn't really work as a novel for me. 20 pages of your protagonist's thoughts about why people read books they're told to read, rather than books they might actually want to read, does not a compelling narrative make.
On a separate note, the phrase 'I read once / someone once told me', followed by some random fact which the narrator then links to something she's thinking, is repeated, I kid thee not, over 40 times in this book. I have no clue if it's a deliberate repetition or just a writer's tic which should have been edited out. Either way, it grated.
This novel is presented as an illuminating window into neurodivergence, and there are moments where it works and where I felt Perceived in ways that made me really want to love this book, but the vast majority of it is literally just a super privileged white girl talking about, like, people's energy, and how shallow everyone is all around her because they only care about what others think of them, even though the book opens with her talking about the fact that she's wearing a kimono to a party because she wants people to see her wearing a kimono. This is a novel devoid of any self-reflection or self-awareness, and I think that's its ultimate failure. We never learn anything real about the main character because she's only capable of thinking about herself on a surface level, which just doesn't work when the entire novel is character-driven and takes place inside the narrator's head. Neurodivergent people aren't inherently incapable of those things, and it chafes that the protagonist being autistic might be presented as the reason for its absence.
I know that the narrator of a book is not its author, but this book really felt like the author believed she had a lot to say and decided to use the protagonist as a vehicle for her various musings on topics such as toxic relationships, the lack of indigenous rights in Australia, and the prevalence of rape culture, and it doesn't really work as a novel for me. 20 pages of your protagonist's thoughts about why people read books they're told to read, rather than books they might actually want to read, does not a compelling narrative make.
On a separate note, the phrase 'I read once / someone once told me', followed by some random fact which the narrator then links to something she's thinking, is repeated, I kid thee not, over 40 times in this book. I have no clue if it's a deliberate repetition or just a writer's tic which should have been edited out. Either way, it grated.
March 12, 2020
Lordy I loved this! For all the parts I empathized and embraced, as well for all the moments I am the polar opposite of - it gives you so much to grab on to, then simply enjoy the ride!
It's tantalizing honestly, empowering and freeing; her voice carries you through through only a few hours - but with hindsight/reflection/reckless abandon of all the things we hold on it - we are enveloped in a bright, stunning new narrative to unfold that's uniquely moving and intimate.
I'm excited to see all readers (yes GenZers, Millennial, GenXers, to Boombers) take hold of this - as there is something there for us all!
If you like Eleanor Oliphant and/or Sally Roony I'd like to hope you'd love this too!
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
It's tantalizing honestly, empowering and freeing; her voice carries you through through only a few hours - but with hindsight/reflection/reckless abandon of all the things we hold on it - we are enveloped in a bright, stunning new narrative to unfold that's uniquely moving and intimate.
I'm excited to see all readers (yes GenZers, Millennial, GenXers, to Boombers) take hold of this - as there is something there for us all!
If you like Eleanor Oliphant and/or Sally Roony I'd like to hope you'd love this too!
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
August 15, 2020
A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan (Miraculous Adventure)
“--The men that I’ve been involved with seem to have a strong desire to know how to “do” everything, including women and their vaginas. Yet, more often than not, they’re unwilling to learn about how women and their vaginas like to be “done.”--”
I loved this novel and I don’t know why this isn’t all over the place right now. I haven’t highlighted my kindle so much in a long time either. Almost every chapter has a nugget of inspiration I gleaned from this story. The exciting part is that it is such a simplistic and short plot but the depth and self-revelations just make you want more. A young autistic lady is going out to a party in Australia. What proceeds is a description of her experience and a vivid stream of consciousness that gives you a glimpse into how the autistic mind sees the world.
“Being treated like an object can destroy you.”
This is a book I would slip into the gift bag of every woman that I know. Sexual truths, meditation, freedom of self, knowing your limits… your fears… basking in the glory of what is you and not rushing life. Our place in this world and how we view it, how we embrace it. The chaos and apocalyptic nature of whiteness on those dominated by governments. There is so much beauty and truth and awkwardness in this read that I could read it again and again and love it more every time.
Thank you Penguin Press for the Shelf Awareness Galley win! All thoughts are solely my own.
Content mention: autism, sexual exploits, Aboriginal peoples of Australia, neurodiversity
“--The men that I’ve been involved with seem to have a strong desire to know how to “do” everything, including women and their vaginas. Yet, more often than not, they’re unwilling to learn about how women and their vaginas like to be “done.”--”
I loved this novel and I don’t know why this isn’t all over the place right now. I haven’t highlighted my kindle so much in a long time either. Almost every chapter has a nugget of inspiration I gleaned from this story. The exciting part is that it is such a simplistic and short plot but the depth and self-revelations just make you want more. A young autistic lady is going out to a party in Australia. What proceeds is a description of her experience and a vivid stream of consciousness that gives you a glimpse into how the autistic mind sees the world.
“Being treated like an object can destroy you.”
This is a book I would slip into the gift bag of every woman that I know. Sexual truths, meditation, freedom of self, knowing your limits… your fears… basking in the glory of what is you and not rushing life. Our place in this world and how we view it, how we embrace it. The chaos and apocalyptic nature of whiteness on those dominated by governments. There is so much beauty and truth and awkwardness in this read that I could read it again and again and love it more every time.
Thank you Penguin Press for the Shelf Awareness Galley win! All thoughts are solely my own.
Content mention: autism, sexual exploits, Aboriginal peoples of Australia, neurodiversity
July 20, 2021
This was not what I expected but that wasn’t what let it down for me. Having gone into this thinking it was going to be more of an uplifting book I was surprised when the more you read the emptier it leaves you. At times the writing was so beautiful but it was difficult to fall in love with because I couldn’t always resonate / agree with our protagonist’s thoughts, opinions and judgements. I couldn’t tell if some of it was sarcasm? But “meditation not medication” is a pretty sweeping statement which seemed rather out of place. Is this to start conversations… I don’t know it just seemed weird to me. There was no justification, exploration or development to any of the thoughts of the protagonist. And they didn’t really even weave into the story, it would just be thrown into the page for a few sentences or a paragraph and that was it. Pretty big statements with very few words.
There were a lot of comments on social issues which I also felt were our of place. The author mentioned issues that we are all very aware of but they failed to add any further value to both the story and conversation everything was so surface level. I just wished it was a bit more fleshed out.
I did enjoy the book although aspects definitely confused me on what the books end game was.
There were a lot of comments on social issues which I also felt were our of place. The author mentioned issues that we are all very aware of but they failed to add any further value to both the story and conversation everything was so surface level. I just wished it was a bit more fleshed out.
I did enjoy the book although aspects definitely confused me on what the books end game was.
June 12, 2020
This book is an Experience. It was really refreshing to read about an autistic character whose main character trait isn't "Afraid of social interaction." As someone who does hear the word "party" and proceeds to freak out about how I could ever feel comfortable there, this was a very thought-provoking read. My hope is that readers not on the autism spectrum will take away the idea that we all react to situations differently, and the stereotype of the closed-off, restricted person is outdated. There is great joy to be found in an autistic person's life. Also, this gave me hope that I might work through my fear of butterflies.
September 6, 2020
People’s minds are fascinating places. I truly loved this look into the main character’s mind as she prepared for, attended, and left at party. I loved that it occurs over the span of a day/evening and all the pieces of her mind + heart that were captured in that time frame. Our inner worlds are unique and interesting and diverse and that greatly impacts our experience of the outer world. The fact that the writer + main character are autistic was extra meaningful to me.
October 16, 2020
DNF @ pg 100
Pointless book that concentrates on trashing everyone over everything. There is no deep insights, thoughts or opinions. Just a grown-up mean girl overanalyzing everyone's intentions as absurd and superficial under the guise of "that's how autistic people experience the world". Just nope. Get over yourself sis.
Pointless book that concentrates on trashing everyone over everything. There is no deep insights, thoughts or opinions. Just a grown-up mean girl overanalyzing everyone's intentions as absurd and superficial under the guise of "that's how autistic people experience the world". Just nope. Get over yourself sis.
January 9, 2021
A Room Called Earth presents a simple premise: a nameless autistic young woman gets ready to attend a party, whilst we, the reader, experience her thoughts and response to the events that unfold.
From reading other reviews it seems I'm in the minority in disliking the novel, with other reviewers praising the observational insights and voice of the narrator. I'm afraid to say I found little insight, and struggled to find motivation to finish the very short chapters. Not for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Scribe UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
From reading other reviews it seems I'm in the minority in disliking the novel, with other reviewers praising the observational insights and voice of the narrator. I'm afraid to say I found little insight, and struggled to find motivation to finish the very short chapters. Not for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Scribe UK for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest review.
January 19, 2021
a few pages in, I had no clue what this was about.
the gist i got was that it was about a girl in Australia going to a x-mas-eve-eve party.
there was some clever wit w/in the narrative.
but honestly, there was NO Story!!!
it was some sort of metaphorical/philosophical babble by the writer told in a stream of consciousness via the protagonist. i will say that i did read quite a bit of it b/c you think "what is happening? where is this going?" before you give up & realize it's not going anywhere.
and yeah, i just was not in the mood for that.
i wanted to read a fictional story not read the ramblings of a fictional character that doesn't even get a name.
the gist i got was that it was about a girl in Australia going to a x-mas-eve-eve party.
there was some clever wit w/in the narrative.
but honestly, there was NO Story!!!
it was some sort of metaphorical/philosophical babble by the writer told in a stream of consciousness via the protagonist. i will say that i did read quite a bit of it b/c you think "what is happening? where is this going?" before you give up & realize it's not going anywhere.
and yeah, i just was not in the mood for that.
i wanted to read a fictional story not read the ramblings of a fictional character that doesn't even get a name.
May 31, 2021
So far my favorite read of the year. It is hard to put into words what this book did to me and how unique and necessary it feels!
Madeleine Ryan was actually diagnosed with autism 6 months into writing this brilliant debut novel. At the start it wasn’t yet clear to her that its protagonist would also be neurodivergent, and this may be why it is never explicitly addressed throughout the novel.
To be honest, I am glad she didn’t feel the need to give the reader any sort of label or diagnosis to work with. This book is a testament against defining autism as a disability, instead of seeing it as a rather valuable alternative perspective of the world, thoughts, feelings and experiences, from which we could learn so much. As Ryan herself points out “Autism should be seen as a diamond with lots of facets“.
So what is this book about? We follow an unnamed young woman living in Melbourne with her cat Porkchop, as she gets ready for a party and and then throughout the night as she interacts with others and observes her surroundings. If you couldn’t tell by now, this book is not plot-heavy, and its strength lies rather in the fantastic exploration of the protagonist’s mind, in terms of her intricate thought-process, views of the world, memories and acute perceptiveness of others. Although this book can be really funny at times, it also ventures through some very dark corners of the character’s personal experiences and unveils some powerful traumas.
If this character’s mind was a place that I could visit, it would probably fast become my favorite place, for it offers what it feels like the most refreshing and honest outlook on life inside ourselves. While reading, I kept wishing that people would just be more like her, in that she seems to have the rare ability to REALLY see others, instead of filtering perceptions and opinions according to an individualistic / ego-bound agenda like most do.
I found myself marking almost every page in this book and every sentence lead me to dig deeper into my own self. The end was also the most wonderful, yet bittersweet conclusion to the an immensely rewarding journey.
Madeleine Ryan was actually diagnosed with autism 6 months into writing this brilliant debut novel. At the start it wasn’t yet clear to her that its protagonist would also be neurodivergent, and this may be why it is never explicitly addressed throughout the novel.
To be honest, I am glad she didn’t feel the need to give the reader any sort of label or diagnosis to work with. This book is a testament against defining autism as a disability, instead of seeing it as a rather valuable alternative perspective of the world, thoughts, feelings and experiences, from which we could learn so much. As Ryan herself points out “Autism should be seen as a diamond with lots of facets“.
So what is this book about? We follow an unnamed young woman living in Melbourne with her cat Porkchop, as she gets ready for a party and and then throughout the night as she interacts with others and observes her surroundings. If you couldn’t tell by now, this book is not plot-heavy, and its strength lies rather in the fantastic exploration of the protagonist’s mind, in terms of her intricate thought-process, views of the world, memories and acute perceptiveness of others. Although this book can be really funny at times, it also ventures through some very dark corners of the character’s personal experiences and unveils some powerful traumas.
If this character’s mind was a place that I could visit, it would probably fast become my favorite place, for it offers what it feels like the most refreshing and honest outlook on life inside ourselves. While reading, I kept wishing that people would just be more like her, in that she seems to have the rare ability to REALLY see others, instead of filtering perceptions and opinions according to an individualistic / ego-bound agenda like most do.
I found myself marking almost every page in this book and every sentence lead me to dig deeper into my own self. The end was also the most wonderful, yet bittersweet conclusion to the an immensely rewarding journey.
April 25, 2021
I bought this because reviews have described it as being about an autistic woman. The author is autistic: she says so in interviews, but the main character of this book never describes herself as autistic. If, nowhere in the text does it state that a character is autistic, that creates a very different narrative than if the author had chosen to make her explicitly autistic. One can interpret her as autistic, but one can also interpret her in a lot of different ways. It's a choice to leave that open, but I don't believe you can describe your narrator as autistic if you don't say so in the text. And WHY doesn't Ryan use that word if she wants to write about an autistic character? Why be ambiguous? It makes me feel like we, as autistics, should be hiding this part of ourselves. I'm frustrated with narratives like Sayaka Murata's "Convenience Store Woman" or Naoise Dolan's "Exciting Times" that can't seem to commit to being about autism, but dance around the subject. It's like being afraid to write textually queer fiction.
Aside from all that, this book simply wasn't for me. I found the main character shallow and her thoughts very bland. Much of the narrative felt like it was trying to show how socially conscious the main character is, but also shows her as feeling superior to everyone around her, and happy to appropriate belief systems and traditional clothing from other cultures without giving it a second thought. I skimmed a lot of the final part because I found this so grating.
Aside from all that, this book simply wasn't for me. I found the main character shallow and her thoughts very bland. Much of the narrative felt like it was trying to show how socially conscious the main character is, but also shows her as feeling superior to everyone around her, and happy to appropriate belief systems and traditional clothing from other cultures without giving it a second thought. I skimmed a lot of the final part because I found this so grating.
February 5, 2021
I was lucky enough to be invited to a bookseller dinner (remember those?!) last summer where I met Madeleine Ryan. We mostly talked about books and bushfires, unaware of the pandemic at our door. So this one has been a long time coming (publication was delayed due to Covid)! Hearing about the origins of this novel and Ryan being diagnosed with autism while writing this book added a lot to my reading. Her stream of consciousness writing style here cleverly gives the reader intimate access to a neurodiverse POV. I also love a book that takes place over a 24-hour timeframe. I struggled a little with the dialogue at first as it sounded flat to me but once I settled into it it came to life, and I dare say Ryan wanted it that way. I’m determined to read more neurodiverse writers.
January 12, 2021
What first seems to be ‘just’ a book about a woman with autism becomes so much more interesting as you learn about her habits and particularities, her wonderful interests, and her magnificent house. Loved this stream of consciousness style honest debut!
Thank you Scribe and Netgalley for the ARC.
Thank you Scribe and Netgalley for the ARC.
April 22, 2021
3.5* rounded up
July 8, 2022
You ever just have a book that you feel was written FOR you? This is one of mine and there are so many passages that I want to go back and highlight and annotate and reread and reread and reread.
Read
August 13, 2021A daring, prismatic novel about seeing and being seen, and the hunger for universal connection. Madeleine Ryan’s clarity of vision imbues the ordinary — a party, strangers, inner-city streets — with cosmic significance. I came out of A Room Called Earth with fresh eyes and a full heart.
Laura Elizabeth Woollett, author of Beautiful Revolutionary
In this precious gemstone of a novel, Ryan communicates a lush, raw, addictive truth with her prosaic yet theatrical prose, her protagonist witnessing the world in a way that had me pausing for long deep breaths after most chapters. The world of this book is the world of a woman who knows herself because she has needed to, and a woman who many might recognise, despite her oneness. Reading Ryan is to be taught and to be refreshed, and I will return to her pages in the future, to remind me of the beauty there is in my own room called earth.
Laura McPhee-Browne, author of Cherry Beach
A resolute deep dive into an inner self, a transcendent character study, and a timely reminder that there’s an entire universe inside of everyone we meet. You will be moved.
Matthew Quick, New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook
Offers a strikingly unique look at intimacy, identity, and time itself. From now on I want every novel to be this fiercely authentic, this assured, this untethered from the status quo. Madeleine Ryan is a wholly original writer; this debut announces a tremendous talent.
Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light
An honest narration of human experience and how our whirling minds perceive the world. Sensual, raw, real and down to earth.
Katie Hess, author of Flowerevolution
Heralds the debut of a writer to whom it is worth attending. Flashes of insight, eruptions of startling descriptions, and an original style all add to the excitement of discovering Ryan's fresh observations of the world around her protagonist. Worth reading slowly to savour this highly engaging perspective and this unique new voice.
Naomi Wolf
[T]he interior monologues are vibrant and revealing. Ryan succeeds in capturing neurodiversity on the page.
Publishers Weekly
Ryan’s novel covers less than 24 hours, but by book’s end, readers are left feeling remarkably bonded with this fiercely independent young woman … Her piercing insight is relentless.
Booklist
[M]uch of the novel’s appeal comes from its illustration and examination of the narrator’s blunt perspective on life and specifically social interaction … Ryan’s ability to convey her narrator’s unique perspective makes it a worthwhile read.
Kirkus Reviews
In prose filled with humour and warm light, Madeleine Ryan unearths the bright, luminous soul of each animate and inanimate being she encounters. Instead, remarkably, it is the self shaped by and against social norms that is met as an other. The result is an intelligence that feels not only totally refreshing and original but wonderfully humane.
Meng Jin, author of Little Gods
[A] novel that beautifully shatters myths and stereotypes about people considered neurodiverse while celebrating their differing perspectives on life. STARRED REVIEW
Shelf Awareness
The freedom to experience the narrator’s inner world makes room for objective reality. Melbourne’s neighbourhoods come alive … [A Room Called Earth] culminates in unexpected intimacy, not only between the narrator and her new friend, but also between the reader and an extraordinary mind.
Mari Carlson, Book Page
Twenty-four sparkling hours in the life of a neurodiverse woman on a night out to a party.
The Millions
Debut novelist Madeleine Ryan is also on the autism spectrum, and it is an absolute joy to read about this night through her eyes – where the protagonist’s thoughts can’t always match her actions, and where connection is all that matters. A Room Called Earth’s greatest strengths are its simplicity and honesty.
Bitch Magazine
This debut novel by an autistic Australian woman charts the lively mind of its neurodiverse young heroine.
The New York Times’ ‘New & Noteworthy Books’
A Room Called Earth felt like a perfect summer’s evening … It was both an extremely enlightening and comforting read … A Room Called Earth is a phenomenal novel which is paving the way of neurological diversity in fiction. The book highlights the normality of this diversity and how a story about an autistic person doesn’t need to come from a place of struggle.
Courtney Dyer, The Book Slut
A Room Called Earth is intoxicating: a heady rush of sensuality and passion … A Room Called Earth becomes a rich pleasure: lyrical, sumptuous and saturated with insight. As a debut novel, A Room Called Earth is enigmatic and entirely refreshing. Madeleine Ryan is a writer to watch.
Georgia Brough, Books+Publishing
A sharp, surprising, uncompromising book that treats thinking and watching as sources of real narrative power.
Ronnie Scott, author of The Adversary
This is a knockout debut novel from an author with a refreshing, neurodiverse perspective, and a skilled writerly hand. This book made me feel exhilarated about what fiction can do: reading it is a grounding experience that also sets the reader free. I fell completely under its mesmeric spell, and I absolutely loved it.
Alison Huber, Readings
A Room Called Earth is Madeleine Ryan’s strikingly singular debut. It’s rare that a novel invites you to form such an intimate connection with its protagonist … a completely fresh perspective on a night’s events through neurodivergent eyes.
Happy Magazine
This is an interesting, sassy and unusual book … The protagonist provides an illuminating and often bitingly funny inner commentary … This novel gives a savage insight into what it means to be an Australian, and more specifically a sensitively aware young Australian woman in a world where objectification is still an unwelcome party guest.
Christopher Bantick, The Weekly Times
A Room Called Earth is visceral and voluptuous … The book is a quiet celebration of holding dear to the space within yourself and if you look beyond your skin, how earth itself can bring comfort and wonder.
Thuy On, Sydney Morning Herald
Instead of keeping us at arm’s length, Ryan’s narrator allows us to loiter in her brain the entire time, with no feelings or thoughts off-limits. What unfolds is an act of radical generosity. It’s less unfiltered stream of consciousness and more a continuous hum of deeply flawed, compassionate, curious, unpredictable thoughts that reveal a neurodivergent worldview.
Nathania Gilson, The Saturday Paper
Madeleine Ryan takes her reader on a journey into the psyche of this protagonist—and it’s here that this novel gains its wonderful richness … As a neurodiverse writer, Ryan brings a unique voice and refreshing perspective to a character who thinks and lives so differently to others. Being so fully immersed in the mind of this character is a liberating reading experience, and one unlike any other I’ve had in the past.
Ellen Cregan, Kill Your Darlings
[A Room Called Earth] is a reading experience not unlike navigating a conversation as an autistic person, but also an interesting deconstruction of written dialogue and how context can change with just a few things removed … The way the narrator sees the world and herself is dizzying and magical and, as an autistic woman myself, it was great to read the thoughts of someone who thinks and interacts with the world a bit like me. If you’re after a read to broaden your horizons, this is a great book.
Heather Lewis, Good Reading, starred review
It’s so frank and intimate, you’ll sometimes feel like you’re reading a stranger’s diary. But it’s the prose that I drank up. Ryan’s descriptive writing is vivid, evocative and synaesthetic: languorous flowers drip with sound, nervous partygoers thrum with emotion, a walk down a street at night feels like an epic adventure. A Room Called Earth takes its time, but it’s well worth checking out.
Callum McDermott, Broadsheet
Laura Elizabeth Woollett, author of Beautiful Revolutionary
In this precious gemstone of a novel, Ryan communicates a lush, raw, addictive truth with her prosaic yet theatrical prose, her protagonist witnessing the world in a way that had me pausing for long deep breaths after most chapters. The world of this book is the world of a woman who knows herself because she has needed to, and a woman who many might recognise, despite her oneness. Reading Ryan is to be taught and to be refreshed, and I will return to her pages in the future, to remind me of the beauty there is in my own room called earth.
Laura McPhee-Browne, author of Cherry Beach
A resolute deep dive into an inner self, a transcendent character study, and a timely reminder that there’s an entire universe inside of everyone we meet. You will be moved.
Matthew Quick, New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook
Offers a strikingly unique look at intimacy, identity, and time itself. From now on I want every novel to be this fiercely authentic, this assured, this untethered from the status quo. Madeleine Ryan is a wholly original writer; this debut announces a tremendous talent.
Kimberly King Parsons, author of Black Light
An honest narration of human experience and how our whirling minds perceive the world. Sensual, raw, real and down to earth.
Katie Hess, author of Flowerevolution
Heralds the debut of a writer to whom it is worth attending. Flashes of insight, eruptions of startling descriptions, and an original style all add to the excitement of discovering Ryan's fresh observations of the world around her protagonist. Worth reading slowly to savour this highly engaging perspective and this unique new voice.
Naomi Wolf
[T]he interior monologues are vibrant and revealing. Ryan succeeds in capturing neurodiversity on the page.
Publishers Weekly
Ryan’s novel covers less than 24 hours, but by book’s end, readers are left feeling remarkably bonded with this fiercely independent young woman … Her piercing insight is relentless.
Booklist
[M]uch of the novel’s appeal comes from its illustration and examination of the narrator’s blunt perspective on life and specifically social interaction … Ryan’s ability to convey her narrator’s unique perspective makes it a worthwhile read.
Kirkus Reviews
In prose filled with humour and warm light, Madeleine Ryan unearths the bright, luminous soul of each animate and inanimate being she encounters. Instead, remarkably, it is the self shaped by and against social norms that is met as an other. The result is an intelligence that feels not only totally refreshing and original but wonderfully humane.
Meng Jin, author of Little Gods
[A] novel that beautifully shatters myths and stereotypes about people considered neurodiverse while celebrating their differing perspectives on life. STARRED REVIEW
Shelf Awareness
The freedom to experience the narrator’s inner world makes room for objective reality. Melbourne’s neighbourhoods come alive … [A Room Called Earth] culminates in unexpected intimacy, not only between the narrator and her new friend, but also between the reader and an extraordinary mind.
Mari Carlson, Book Page
Twenty-four sparkling hours in the life of a neurodiverse woman on a night out to a party.
The Millions
Debut novelist Madeleine Ryan is also on the autism spectrum, and it is an absolute joy to read about this night through her eyes – where the protagonist’s thoughts can’t always match her actions, and where connection is all that matters. A Room Called Earth’s greatest strengths are its simplicity and honesty.
Bitch Magazine
This debut novel by an autistic Australian woman charts the lively mind of its neurodiverse young heroine.
The New York Times’ ‘New & Noteworthy Books’
A Room Called Earth felt like a perfect summer’s evening … It was both an extremely enlightening and comforting read … A Room Called Earth is a phenomenal novel which is paving the way of neurological diversity in fiction. The book highlights the normality of this diversity and how a story about an autistic person doesn’t need to come from a place of struggle.
Courtney Dyer, The Book Slut
A Room Called Earth is intoxicating: a heady rush of sensuality and passion … A Room Called Earth becomes a rich pleasure: lyrical, sumptuous and saturated with insight. As a debut novel, A Room Called Earth is enigmatic and entirely refreshing. Madeleine Ryan is a writer to watch.
Georgia Brough, Books+Publishing
A sharp, surprising, uncompromising book that treats thinking and watching as sources of real narrative power.
Ronnie Scott, author of The Adversary
This is a knockout debut novel from an author with a refreshing, neurodiverse perspective, and a skilled writerly hand. This book made me feel exhilarated about what fiction can do: reading it is a grounding experience that also sets the reader free. I fell completely under its mesmeric spell, and I absolutely loved it.
Alison Huber, Readings
A Room Called Earth is Madeleine Ryan’s strikingly singular debut. It’s rare that a novel invites you to form such an intimate connection with its protagonist … a completely fresh perspective on a night’s events through neurodivergent eyes.
Happy Magazine
This is an interesting, sassy and unusual book … The protagonist provides an illuminating and often bitingly funny inner commentary … This novel gives a savage insight into what it means to be an Australian, and more specifically a sensitively aware young Australian woman in a world where objectification is still an unwelcome party guest.
Christopher Bantick, The Weekly Times
A Room Called Earth is visceral and voluptuous … The book is a quiet celebration of holding dear to the space within yourself and if you look beyond your skin, how earth itself can bring comfort and wonder.
Thuy On, Sydney Morning Herald
Instead of keeping us at arm’s length, Ryan’s narrator allows us to loiter in her brain the entire time, with no feelings or thoughts off-limits. What unfolds is an act of radical generosity. It’s less unfiltered stream of consciousness and more a continuous hum of deeply flawed, compassionate, curious, unpredictable thoughts that reveal a neurodivergent worldview.
Nathania Gilson, The Saturday Paper
Madeleine Ryan takes her reader on a journey into the psyche of this protagonist—and it’s here that this novel gains its wonderful richness … As a neurodiverse writer, Ryan brings a unique voice and refreshing perspective to a character who thinks and lives so differently to others. Being so fully immersed in the mind of this character is a liberating reading experience, and one unlike any other I’ve had in the past.
Ellen Cregan, Kill Your Darlings
[A Room Called Earth] is a reading experience not unlike navigating a conversation as an autistic person, but also an interesting deconstruction of written dialogue and how context can change with just a few things removed … The way the narrator sees the world and herself is dizzying and magical and, as an autistic woman myself, it was great to read the thoughts of someone who thinks and interacts with the world a bit like me. If you’re after a read to broaden your horizons, this is a great book.
Heather Lewis, Good Reading, starred review
It’s so frank and intimate, you’ll sometimes feel like you’re reading a stranger’s diary. But it’s the prose that I drank up. Ryan’s descriptive writing is vivid, evocative and synaesthetic: languorous flowers drip with sound, nervous partygoers thrum with emotion, a walk down a street at night feels like an epic adventure. A Room Called Earth takes its time, but it’s well worth checking out.
Callum McDermott, Broadsheet
October 10, 2022
I'm perplexed at all the raving reviews this book has gotten. Truly and genuinely perplexed. To me, this is one of the most pointless, self-serving books ever written. And if I hadn't known that this was supposed to be about an autistic woman, I never would have guessed.
The MC reads like any and all self-obsessed TikTok women, utterly mesmerized and fascinated by her own being. But her self-obsession doesn't come across as "I don't know how the world works and so I need some security and have decided to find it in myself" no, it comes across as "I am the best person on this planet, I am the only one who matters and everything happens in relation to me". And then we move on to her absolutely unfounded negative thoughts about everyone around her.
Don't get me wrong, I understand not understanding people, I feel left out and out of depth and confused pretty much every day of my life because I don't know how the world works. I don't understand how societal interactions are supposed to go and have to work my ass off to not constantly come across as stand-offish and weird. It is exhausting and has made me question whether I might be on the autistic spectrum more than once. Which is what made me want to pick up this book.
Only, this book won't help you with that, because the MC reads like one of those women that sell essential oils and are always talking about aligning their chakras and about positivity but are actually the most toxic, hateful people you know.
She has the gall to talk about her countless ex-boyfriends and how much they sucked and she never factors into the poor outcome of those relationships, then stands there and pokes fun at some men she doesn't know in the slightest and how they always think everyone else is the issue. Riiight.
She also has the gall to make medicine out to be the worst option ever, telling a former boyfriend while he's in the hospital for treatment that if he just listened to the energy of his body or whatever he wouldn't need any medicine. Her statements about taking medicine to deal with mental disorders are, if possible, even worse.
I don't even want to talk about the bad dialogue and no, it isn't bad because the MC has trouble communicating, it's bad because Ryan doesn't know how to separate dialogue and exposition.
The latter half of the book didn't piss me off quite as much because the MC has less time being a self-absorbed toxic positivity guru who judges everyone around her based on her own negative imaginings of what their lives are like, instead we get to stumble through poorly written dialogue, stunningly unrealistic and unwanted flirting and a whole lot of... nothing. Really, I have no idea what this book wanted to tell me.
But like, really, the MC's contempt for other people and her ability to exclude herself from the judgment she casts on everyone is staggering. How can she sit there and tell some dude, who wasn't even asking her, that his ignorance of his own privilege is harmful and should be reconsidered and then turn around and question someone telling her that she's very privileged for living in a mansion and not having to work a day in her life to keep her luxurious lifestyle.
To me, this character is the definition of fake woke and toxic positivity. She sees herself as the victim in every interaction, even if it's just imagined. She lives for the trope of "I'm not like the other girls" and willingly uses that and her internalized misogyny to judge the women around her and put them down for absolutely no reason. She, once again literally, stands there and judges the women around her (at a party, I might add) for wearing - well, any clothing, really- that they've chosen because it looks good. She goes on a tangent about how women wear high-heels to be more appealing or whatever and that we dress for attention, no matter how uncomfortable and that she's so much better because she wouldn't do that. You want to know what she's wearing to that party? High-heels and spandex. I'm just gonna leave you with that.
Funny was also how this MC is constantly complimented on her beauty and her fit body, because of course she is. Again, self-obsessed TikToker is all I'm getting from this. Everyone wants to fuck her, because she's just not like the other girls *wink wink*.
I also personally didn't like her very weird take on her sexuality. The MC states that she wished she was attracted to women but isn't, then tells us she gets off to the thought of women around her period, then later has a moment where she thinks making out with another woman at the party would have been really good for her... Felt like queer baiting, not gonna lie. Oh and that instance of not-making out with that woman is also used for some really weird and unnecessary hateful comments about polyamory. Again, for what?
But the best scene, hands down, is the part where a woman approaches the MC and asks where she got her kimono from and she says that she doesn't want to answer if that's okay, so of course the other woman is a bit confused and asks why and the MC says "I'm not my kimono."to then go on a very weird and incredibly infuriating tangent about how women only give others compliments for "winning" in the given social situation (because you either stand out or fit in) and that telling someone where you got your clothes from basically insinuates they can just buy being you.
I... I can't. I'm done.
Casting societal issues as any other person's personal failure is already bad enough, but add to that a holier than thou character like this... just no. So glad I am done with this and can't wait to get rid of my copy, which really isn't something I say often.
The MC reads like any and all self-obsessed TikTok women, utterly mesmerized and fascinated by her own being. But her self-obsession doesn't come across as "I don't know how the world works and so I need some security and have decided to find it in myself" no, it comes across as "I am the best person on this planet, I am the only one who matters and everything happens in relation to me". And then we move on to her absolutely unfounded negative thoughts about everyone around her.
Don't get me wrong, I understand not understanding people, I feel left out and out of depth and confused pretty much every day of my life because I don't know how the world works. I don't understand how societal interactions are supposed to go and have to work my ass off to not constantly come across as stand-offish and weird. It is exhausting and has made me question whether I might be on the autistic spectrum more than once. Which is what made me want to pick up this book.
Only, this book won't help you with that, because the MC reads like one of those women that sell essential oils and are always talking about aligning their chakras and about positivity but are actually the most toxic, hateful people you know.
She has the gall to talk about her countless ex-boyfriends and how much they sucked and she never factors into the poor outcome of those relationships, then stands there and pokes fun at some men she doesn't know in the slightest and how they always think everyone else is the issue. Riiight.
She also has the gall to make medicine out to be the worst option ever, telling a former boyfriend while he's in the hospital for treatment that if he just listened to the energy of his body or whatever he wouldn't need any medicine. Her statements about taking medicine to deal with mental disorders are, if possible, even worse.
I don't even want to talk about the bad dialogue and no, it isn't bad because the MC has trouble communicating, it's bad because Ryan doesn't know how to separate dialogue and exposition.
The latter half of the book didn't piss me off quite as much because the MC has less time being a self-absorbed toxic positivity guru who judges everyone around her based on her own negative imaginings of what their lives are like, instead we get to stumble through poorly written dialogue, stunningly unrealistic and unwanted flirting and a whole lot of... nothing. Really, I have no idea what this book wanted to tell me.
But like, really, the MC's contempt for other people and her ability to exclude herself from the judgment she casts on everyone is staggering. How can she sit there and tell some dude, who wasn't even asking her, that his ignorance of his own privilege is harmful and should be reconsidered and then turn around and question someone telling her that she's very privileged for living in a mansion and not having to work a day in her life to keep her luxurious lifestyle.
To me, this character is the definition of fake woke and toxic positivity. She sees herself as the victim in every interaction, even if it's just imagined. She lives for the trope of "I'm not like the other girls" and willingly uses that and her internalized misogyny to judge the women around her and put them down for absolutely no reason. She, once again literally, stands there and judges the women around her (at a party, I might add) for wearing - well, any clothing, really- that they've chosen because it looks good. She goes on a tangent about how women wear high-heels to be more appealing or whatever and that we dress for attention, no matter how uncomfortable and that she's so much better because she wouldn't do that. You want to know what she's wearing to that party? High-heels and spandex. I'm just gonna leave you with that.
Funny was also how this MC is constantly complimented on her beauty and her fit body, because of course she is. Again, self-obsessed TikToker is all I'm getting from this. Everyone wants to fuck her, because she's just not like the other girls *wink wink*.
I also personally didn't like her very weird take on her sexuality. The MC states that she wished she was attracted to women but isn't, then tells us she gets off to the thought of women around her period, then later has a moment where she thinks making out with another woman at the party would have been really good for her... Felt like queer baiting, not gonna lie. Oh and that instance of not-making out with that woman is also used for some really weird and unnecessary hateful comments about polyamory. Again, for what?
But the best scene, hands down, is the part where a woman approaches the MC and asks where she got her kimono from and she says that she doesn't want to answer if that's okay, so of course the other woman is a bit confused and asks why and the MC says "I'm not my kimono."to then go on a very weird and incredibly infuriating tangent about how women only give others compliments for "winning" in the given social situation (because you either stand out or fit in) and that telling someone where you got your clothes from basically insinuates they can just buy being you.
I... I can't. I'm done.
Casting societal issues as any other person's personal failure is already bad enough, but add to that a holier than thou character like this... just no. So glad I am done with this and can't wait to get rid of my copy, which really isn't something I say often.
May 15, 2021
A Room Called Earth really charmed me. There’s a lot of things I like to read in novels here - parties, outfits, houses, grief, isolation, sexuality, connection. The book begins with our protagonist getting dressed for a night out and taking us along for the ride which is at times funny, tense, problematic, flat, magical, mundane, tingly and exciting. I so enjoyed spending time in her head.
April 2, 2021
This was wonderful! I would’ve finished it in a single sitting easily, but sadly I don’t have that luxury at the moment. I think it would’ve been an even better experience that way. I need more time to process for a full review!
——
Another one of the exciting new Australian releases that has taken bookstagram by storm this year. I finally got around to reading this ARC last month, which I received quite a while ago, and it certainly lived up to its name!
A Room Called Earth is a fascinating little gem of a novel, narrated by an obscure young Australian woman, set over a 24-hr period.
When the book begins, the protagonist is getting ready for a party. She heads to the party, attends the party and comes home from the party - but it’s SO much more than that. This is a character study, a millennial societal analysis, a book that relies heavily on prose, detail, insight and very little on plot.
This book is unlike anything else I’ve read. It’s spoken from such an interesting characters mind, with many random tangents and analysis of social situations unfolding in front of her eyes. It often speaks of, and ponders on privilege, which is interesting given the immense privilege of the protagonist herself, lots of which we discover towards the end of the book. It’s also a book about grief and loss, acceptance, gender, climate change, lots of the big existential issues we’re collectively facing.
I recommend this to millennials first and foremost, but anyone, really. I’ll leave you with this quote: “I think it’s healthy for you to be questioning your behaviour and having more open discussions with women can only be positive. Because, you’re right, your privilege isn’t the problem. Being unaware of it and using it irresponsibly is. I wouldn’t be so sure about your friends, either. If you’re not in the room when they’re fucking some chick, you can’t really speak for them. I suspect that you’d be surprised. The nice guys who get on super well with all of their bros are usually the ones to be wary of, in my experience.”
——
Another one of the exciting new Australian releases that has taken bookstagram by storm this year. I finally got around to reading this ARC last month, which I received quite a while ago, and it certainly lived up to its name!
A Room Called Earth is a fascinating little gem of a novel, narrated by an obscure young Australian woman, set over a 24-hr period.
When the book begins, the protagonist is getting ready for a party. She heads to the party, attends the party and comes home from the party - but it’s SO much more than that. This is a character study, a millennial societal analysis, a book that relies heavily on prose, detail, insight and very little on plot.
This book is unlike anything else I’ve read. It’s spoken from such an interesting characters mind, with many random tangents and analysis of social situations unfolding in front of her eyes. It often speaks of, and ponders on privilege, which is interesting given the immense privilege of the protagonist herself, lots of which we discover towards the end of the book. It’s also a book about grief and loss, acceptance, gender, climate change, lots of the big existential issues we’re collectively facing.
I recommend this to millennials first and foremost, but anyone, really. I’ll leave you with this quote: “I think it’s healthy for you to be questioning your behaviour and having more open discussions with women can only be positive. Because, you’re right, your privilege isn’t the problem. Being unaware of it and using it irresponsibly is. I wouldn’t be so sure about your friends, either. If you’re not in the room when they’re fucking some chick, you can’t really speak for them. I suspect that you’d be surprised. The nice guys who get on super well with all of their bros are usually the ones to be wary of, in my experience.”
April 21, 2020
Everyone - EVERYONE should read this book. We'd be a better people if we took a page from it :)
Similarly for how we loved Eleanor Oliphant, for the Sally Rooney reader~
Set in modern day Australia; we get to live through Ryan for about a day - but in that time we feel her fierce and unique perspective for living life.
She's self-assured, while fully aware of her detachments and abilities - her voice feels empowering and humbly natural straight off the page. Her charm extend to knowing why, and how she enjoys her martinis, to how to survive in social situations, as well as being able to read the room - and most those individuals around her.
Who can say today, that they're comfortable in their own skin? Especially with awareness that it's due from previous experiences - and still see so much beauty?
I hope you enjoy her too; she reclaims vibrancy, and makes it feel cared for.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
Similarly for how we loved Eleanor Oliphant, for the Sally Rooney reader~
Set in modern day Australia; we get to live through Ryan for about a day - but in that time we feel her fierce and unique perspective for living life.
She's self-assured, while fully aware of her detachments and abilities - her voice feels empowering and humbly natural straight off the page. Her charm extend to knowing why, and how she enjoys her martinis, to how to survive in social situations, as well as being able to read the room - and most those individuals around her.
Who can say today, that they're comfortable in their own skin? Especially with awareness that it's due from previous experiences - and still see so much beauty?
I hope you enjoy her too; she reclaims vibrancy, and makes it feel cared for.
Galley borrowed from the publisher.
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