Room by Emma Donoghue

321 pages

"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world. It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. There are endless wonders that let loose Jack's imagination - the snake under Bed that he constructs out of eggshells, the imaginary world projected through the TV, the coziness of Wardrobe below Ma's clothes, where she tucks him in safely at night in case Old Nick comes.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held since she was nineteen - for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in that eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But Jack's curiosity is building alongside her own desperation - and she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer." -Dust Jacket

On the recommendation of a good friend who loves good books, I went to the library and checked this out. I haven't been outside the children's section of the library in years; I just love buying books, and finding good deals on those books. I think sometimes I keep Amazon in business single-handedly. Or not, since I usually buy books for $0.01 and pay $3.99 in shipping. I will be buying this book but I didn't want to wait for the right price.

I couldn't put this book down. I ended this book sobbing, but in a good way. I think the last paragraph on the dust jacket sums up how I feel perfectly:

"Told in the poignant and funny voice of Jack, Room is a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child. It is a shocking, exhilarating, and riveting novel - but always deeply human and always moving. Room is a place you will never forget."

One thing did nag at me as I was reading: why on earth would a 19-year-old girl fall for the "my dog's hurt/going crazy" routine from an older man and willingly get in his truck? Maybe a young child, but a college student? The reader never learns Ma's full name. I liked that. I think it makes it easier to envision this brave young woman as being anyone and no one in particular. She could be any young mother. Jack loves her and she loves Jack, so much so that she creates a heaven for him out of her hell. I think the way Jack feels about Room is a testament to her courage and compassion. She gives him as normal a childhood as their circumstance allows, creating games and retelling stories, making him feel loved and happy and keeping him safe. I like that this story is told from Jack's perspective. I think the author does a great job writing the thoughts and feelings of a five-year-old and making those thoughts and feelings believable. Jack's voice creates a tender innocence for a horrific situation. It keeps things PG-rated and it lets you find beauty in tragedy. His using proper nouns for items like Rug, Wardrobe, Table, made those things come alive and made you feel how important they were to Jack in his small world. Told through Ma's eyes this story would have been a completely different read. Their very different feelings about Rug are proof of that.

{SPOILERS}

I liked the flow of this story. Jack and Ma escape halfway through, which leaves the second half of the book to deal with the aftermath and emotions of seven years in captivity. Jack and Ma both have adjustments to make to being free. Jack has only ever known Room and Outside is overwhelming for him. Ma has the emotional and physical trauma to deal with of having had her life stolen from her. It is not an easy road for either of them and they both have to find a new way. Ma's strength lies in the fact that she gets back up and keeps going. The ending was a full-circle moment, and again a testament to Ma's character. Jack wants to visit Room again and she takes him so they can both say goodbye.

I love books that make you feel and sometimes think differently about life. This one does that the whole way through. It's one you won't soon forget. And can I just say that I love Steppa? He keeps it real.