Genre: Fiction
Book Jacket Synopsis: “To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world. It’s where he was born. It’s where he and 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 beneath 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’s been held since she was nineteen – for seven long 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 Ma’s own desperation, and she knows that Room cannot contain either indefinitely.”
Review: THIS BOOK. GUYS. READ IT. Stop reading this blog post and start reading Room. I honestly cannot praise this book enough. I’ve been meaning to get to it forever and am so glad that I finally made the time, because it was impossible to put down. It becomes apparent within the first few pages that Donoghue is an amazing storyteller, largely through her ability to convey the unique world of Room through Jack’s naive eyes. She does an excellent job of writing in a way that allows readers to experience the many nuanced emotions felt by both Ma, as her desperation mounts, and Jack, as he learns about and comes to terms with the realities of Room. As a side note, I also watched the movie version shortly after reading the book and was blown away by both Brie Larsen’s and Jacob Tremblay’s performances. I know I’m a bit late to the game, both in reading the book and watching the movie, but I highly encourage everyone to do both. This book does an incredible job of handling sensitive subject matter in an eloquent, poignant way. It will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.
Rating:
The Banned Book Brigade 