Saturday, October 9, 2010

Room by Emma Donoghue

Room is told through the eyes of Jack, a five year old boy who is born in captivity to a mother who was kidnapped. The two of them live in a twelve foot square soundproof shed. The story follows them through their escape and experiences adjusting to the real world.


I expected this to be an upsetting book to read so I almost didn't pick it up. It really wasn't that type of book. Since it is told through Jack's innocent perspective, the horrors are implied instead of described. It wasn't shocking in the way that I thought it would be. The author captures Jack's bewilderment with the world very well.  However, there are some things that I thought were overdone and somewhat annoying, such as Jack's issues with breastfeeding and his fixation with his mother's tooth.  I could have done with a little less of that although I understood her purpose.  Overall it was a very good read.  Don't avoid it because you think it might be too creepy. 4/5

5 comments:

TNBBC Super Mod said...

The breastfeeding was uber creepy, wasn't it? But I suppose she did it because she knew he wouldnt be getting much nutrients through the junk that Old Nick gave them....

I adored this book from start to finish! Glad you enjoyed it and didn't let it scare you away.

Literary Feline said...

I am looking forward to reading this one. It's the second book I downloaded to my nook. Hopefully I'll get to it soon. I am glad you enjoyed it, Christine!

Kathryn said...

hmmm, it sounds more interesting than creepy. I like books told by young people's POV. I'll have to check this out.

TheBookGirl said...

I have to admit I was avoiding this because of the "creepiness" factor...I see this morning that it did not win the literary prize that many thought it would...

UK said...

Room is a great read, with plenty of clever viewpoints from the characters, even though it's told completely in first person through Jack, who's five.
The premise and setting have become sadly and terrifyingly familiar news stories recently, but this world shines with hope for the two main characters.
Ma's strength and protective love for Jack haunted me as a mother. I really felt that the author offered a deep insight into this aspect of the entire ordeal.