Review: Room

A nineteen-year old co-ed was grabbed off the street and held captive in a twelve-foot square garden shed where she’s raped repeatedly for years.  It’s a living hell for her and two years later, she gives birth to a boy she names Jack.  Jack gives the young woman a reason to live and she tries to make the shed a home for them.  Now that Jack’s five years old, she’s beginning to feel desperate.

Room by Emma Donoghue is told from the perspective of five-year old Jack.  Room is the only world he knows, so it feels safe and secure to him while it feels like a prison cell to his mother, who he calls Ma.  Ma works hard to make life somewhat normal for Jack – they have physical education, read the few books they have over and over, and limit the time they watch TV.  She does everything she can to protect Jack and hides the truth from him until he turns five, and she decides it’s time to “unlie” to him.  She attempts to explain things to Jack, but it’s all too much for a five-year old to take in.

Oh, how my heart ached for Ma, as she’s called throughout the book.  Her story sounds like one that was plucked from the headlines and I cannot imagine living a nightmare like that.  I’m sure I would not have fared as well as she did.  Jack is her saving grace – not only is he company for her, but caring for and teaching him helps pass the hours.  Jack is a wonderful character, too.  His world is so small and he takes great pleasure in things that we take for granted.

Jack’s language does take a little getting used to.  At first I wondered how a young child with such a large vocabulary could have such poor grammar, and I was afraid it would keep me from becoming engaged with the story.  There was no need to worry, though – I became used to the language and after a little while, didn’t even notice it.  This is a story of love and strength and resilience, and all but the hardest hearts will cheer for Jack and Ma.  I became engrossed in the story and didn’t want to set the book down.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.  Room has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

I heard Emma speak at the SIBA Trade Show this year and she said she got the idea for this book from the Fritzl case.   She wanted to explore two things in Room – what happens to a child when they’re raised away from society, and the strength of the bond between a mother and her child. She said her brother-in-law helped her with some of the details of the book, such as how to fortify Room to make it inescapable.  Heather and I had the opportunity to chat with her for a few minutes after she spoke and I asked her how she managed to keep the voice of a five-year old throughout the book and she told me one of her children was five when she was writing it.   We chatted about a few other things as well, and I found Emma to be charming and humble.

Review copy provided by Hachette Books.  I am an Indiebound Affiliate.