Room - A Book Review

Room by Emma Donoghue, Published by Picador, Paperback, RRP: $32.99 ISBN: 9780330519922
I just finished reading this book and I can't stop thinking about it. It was fantastic! It really is one of those books that you just don't want to put down.

What B.o.B says
Jack is five, and excited about his birthday. He lives with his Ma in Room, which has a locked door and a skylight, and measures eleven feet by eleven. He loves watching TV, and the cartoon characters he calls friends, but he knows that nothing he sees on screen s truly real - only him, Ma and the things in Room. Until the day Ma admits that there's a world outside...
Told in Jack's voice, Room is the story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible. Unsentimental and sometimes funny, devastating yet uplifting, Room is a novel like no other.

Room is a book that is quite topical, given all of the stories we've heard over the last few years of women  being held captive for many years.

Jack was born in Room, the room that his mother has been held captive in by a disgusting old man. All Jack has ever known is Room and it's through his eyes that we see the world. 

Emma Donoghue has done an excellent job to channel the brain of a 5 year old, and a very special one at that. At first I found it a little hard getting used to reading the story in 'kid-speak' but after a little while I got used to it.

You would think that this story would be very depressing, and there are parts where the lump was rising in my throat, but I think because it's told from Jack's point of view, it softens the blow somewhat, and there are some really funny insights, the saying 'from the mouths of babes' rings true here. 

This was one of my fav quotes - 
The little cards with numbers all over are called a lottery, idiots buy them hoping to get magicked into millionaires.

I couldn't recommend this book enough, and if you're looking for a great read then you should def get your hands on a copy.

Two Thumbs-Up

Comments

Amy xxoo said…
I saw two reviews for this a fortnight go and it went straight on my " want " list! Unfortunately i dont have the money to go out and buy books anymore so i'll just have to wait til it hits my local library, and no doubt i'll have to go on a waiting list to read it...
MultipleMum said…
Thanks for this. It sounds like the perfect choice for our bookclub - we are a bunch of Mums of 5 year old kids! I will let you know what we think :)
Kellyansapansa said…
Fabulous review - and thanks for the recommendation!

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