Review: A Room Called Earth by Madeline Ryan

Spanning a timeframe of about twenty-four hours, A Room Called Earth tells the story of a girl who goes to a party and meets a boy. A Room Called Earth is also much more than that. It's the story of a day in the life of a neurodiverse young woman with a rich and complex inner world that she cannot easily communicate and share with others, and that others cannot--or will not--take the time to see. 

I struggled with this one a little at first. The protagonists need to describe everything in detail took some time to get used to, as did the many judgements that she made about the people around her. After a while, however, it becomes clear that the protagonist is sensitive and has a lot of depth to her, and much of her frustration with other people comes from the fact that one, people don't like having certain truths pointed out to them and are more comfortable living a lie and interacting in a way that is not true to themselves and two, a lot of those people look down on her and have no idea of the amazing life and world that she has carved out for herself against all odds. Through her interactions with the man she takes home, we see just how complex her world is--and how others might just benefit if they just gave her a chance.

Overall, this is a well written story of difference, the complexity of the human mind and belonging. 

Highly recommended.

This novel counts toward my reading goal for the Aussie Author Challenge 2021

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