Madeleine Ryan's debut deserves comparison with Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. As in Woolf's classic, A Room Called Earth takes place over one day and opens with a memorable protagonist preparing for a party.
Writing in a stream-of-consciousness style, Ryan reveals an unnamed Australian narrator who views the world through a quirky, insightful lens: "I want my life, and everything inside of it, to be absolutely mine. I don't want to be indebted to a laboratory, or to a plant, or to a guru, or to a doctor, or to some guy who cooks in his basement. I want to give myself to myself, fully." Strongly attuned to nature, she believes in crystal energy (she built an elaborate altar in her backyard), lives independently with her cat, Porkchop, and considers the deceased actor Heath Ledger to be her guardian angel. She anticipates an exciting evening of socializing and hopes "to leave people wondering, and nothing more. It's safe, it's sexy, and I want to live there forever. Mystery is my favorite accessory." Indeed, A Room Called Earth is satisfying while leaving unanswered questions.
Because Ryan identifies as an autistic woman, it is tempting to affix her narrator with similar labels or to parse A Room Called Earth for autobiographical clues. But readers who resist this temptation will discover a novel that beautifully shatters myths and stereotypes about people considered neurodiverse while celebrating their differing perspectives on life. --Melissa Firman, writer, editor and blogger at melissafirman.com