Today's review is of
"Room”
By: Emma Donoghue
Synopsis from Barnes & Noble:
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. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.
My thoughts:
This book was so weird…but so different…and I gotta tell you, I really liked it. This is one of my December Book Club picks, so I was pretty skeptical on whether I would like it or not. I had heard it was good, but to be honest, if I was just picking up books, I would have NEVER picked this book up. I would have missed a great story but this is not usually my kind of book. I’m so glad I picked it up though!
The entire story of “Room” is told from the point of view of Jack, a five year old. Jack has only lived in this one “Room” his entire life and he has no idea of an outside life. He has only been around his Mom and a guy who visits at night named “Old Nick.” (His mom never lets him around Old Nick, but you can understand why.)
The story starts out as Jack talks about his routine with his Mother. They rely on the food and toiletries Nick brings them. Everything is blacked out so there are no windows. The walls are heavy and the door has all kinds of locks and special gadgets so they can’t get out. But…all of this is normal to Jack. His Mom reads him the same old stories, feeds him the same old food, and they play the same games day in, day out. Until the day Jack’s Mom decides she wants to escape.
As the reader, you understand that Old Nick has kidnapped Jack’s Mom and Jack is Nick’s child. Jack has no idea though and he is scared of the outside world. When his Mom approaches him about an idea of how to escape, this small child has no idea of what to expect and is frightened. So his Mom has to talk to him about the world, about what he hasn’t seen, and she prepares him as much as she is able to do.
I’m not going to ruin the story, but let’s just say, Jack and his Mom are released finally…but that isn’t nearly the end of the story. “Room” is a fast paced rollercoaster, where one chapter you think you have it figured out…and the next you have no idea where the story is going. Try it; I know you’ll like it!
This book was so weird…but so different…and I gotta tell you, I really liked it. This is one of my December Book Club picks, so I was pretty skeptical on whether I would like it or not. I had heard it was good, but to be honest, if I was just picking up books, I would have NEVER picked this book up. I would have missed a great story but this is not usually my kind of book. I’m so glad I picked it up though!
The entire story of “Room” is told from the point of view of Jack, a five year old. Jack has only lived in this one “Room” his entire life and he has no idea of an outside life. He has only been around his Mom and a guy who visits at night named “Old Nick.” (His mom never lets him around Old Nick, but you can understand why.)
The story starts out as Jack talks about his routine with his Mother. They rely on the food and toiletries Nick brings them. Everything is blacked out so there are no windows. The walls are heavy and the door has all kinds of locks and special gadgets so they can’t get out. But…all of this is normal to Jack. His Mom reads him the same old stories, feeds him the same old food, and they play the same games day in, day out. Until the day Jack’s Mom decides she wants to escape.
As the reader, you understand that Old Nick has kidnapped Jack’s Mom and Jack is Nick’s child. Jack has no idea though and he is scared of the outside world. When his Mom approaches him about an idea of how to escape, this small child has no idea of what to expect and is frightened. So his Mom has to talk to him about the world, about what he hasn’t seen, and she prepares him as much as she is able to do.
I’m not going to ruin the story, but let’s just say, Jack and his Mom are released finally…but that isn’t nearly the end of the story. “Room” is a fast paced rollercoaster, where one chapter you think you have it figured out…and the next you have no idea where the story is going. Try it; I know you’ll like it!
Product Details -
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co
ISBN: 978-0316098335
Date of Publication: September 2010
I've seen this one but I've never really looked into what it's about. Thanks for the review! The premise seem very different but in a good way.
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♥bookluvrmindy
great review - it sounds awesome. I've added it to my "to read" list.
ReplyDeletecheers!
I listened to this on audio earlier in the year. It was remarkable and not one I would normally choose either. I'm glad you liked it too.
ReplyDeleteThe audio book was interesting because it's read in a five-year-old voice, which is kind of grating, but it gets the point across. This book is VERY different, and a little sickening, but it's a moving read you won't forget! Thanks for the review!! And thanks for visiting mine!
ReplyDeleteMickey @ imabookshark
http://www.imabookshark.com/2011/11/review-emma-donoghue-room.html
I truly enjoyed this book and I have never read a book twice but I can see me revisiting this in a few years time. So well written, I could see, smell, feel, touch everything, I could feel the emotions of desperation, elation and everything in between. It intrigued me, mystified me and reminded me how small we are when we are children. I remember seeing the world different and how everything seems so much bigger. I think sometimes about this book and wonder how many times this book could in fact be true, too many I fear. But thank you Emma I really enjoyed it.
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