The Blurb:
“To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It’s where he was born, where he and his Ma eat and play and learn. At night, Ma puts him safely to sleep in the wardrobe, in case Old Nick comes.
Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it’s the prison where she’s been held for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for her son. But Jack’s curiosity is building alongside Ma’s desperation — and she knows Room cannot contain either indefinitely. …
Told in the inventive, funny, and poignant voice of Jack, Room is a powerful story of a mother and son whose love lets them survive the impossible.”
(source: Goodreads)
What I thought:
I want to start by saying that I loved this book – loved it! When I see other reviews, prior to me reading a book, that state phrases like “unputdownable” and “kept me up all night” I tend to get very excited and have, in the past, been let down upon reading the book for myself. Not so with Room – believe the hype, people!
Room is narrated by five-year-old Jack who was born and still lives in an 11′ by 11′ shed with his Ma. Jack has never know any other life, and as far as he is concerned Room is the universe and only he and Ma exist (apart from Old Nick who is a bad man and visits Ma on an evening while Jack hides in Wardrobe and counts the creaks on Ma’s bed when he’s there). Room is Jack’s entire existence until his fifth birthday when Ma tells him that “outside” is not just on TV but actually exists. For a boy who has known nothing and nobody else this is a difficult concept to grasp and the narrative device deployed really works in showing us (rather than telling us) how Jack tries to make sense of this information. Jack’s little world has been about playing games with Ma (making an eggsnake that lives under the bed, jumping up towards the shed skylight and screaming at the top of their voices and running track round the tiny room), reading the same 5 books over and over and watching his best and only friend, Dora the Explorer, on TV. Now suddenly Ma is telling him that she once lived Outside and that she had a family and went to school before Old Nick brought her to Room and kept her there and she wants to go back!
I am usually pretty sceptical of books where the child is the narrator as I find that if not done sympathetically they make me cringe. Jack, however, was the perfect narrator: the whole world (or what he knows of it) is seen from his point of view so the book avoids the horror of Ma’s plight and instead sees the relationship between mother and son, born out of the most horrific of circumstances that the reader can understand, not through Jack telling us (as he doesn’t know) but through Jack showing us.
Room is both brilliantly written but also gripping: it took hold of me from the first page and never let me go until the end. This is a unique look at a relationship and a life told through the innocence and naivity of a young boy who’s whole world is 11 sqaure feet. The question is, does he need anything more?
I would highly, highly recommend this book. It’s one of my favourites of the year so far. The cover of the book has a quote by Audrey Niffenegger which I think sums the book up perfectly:
“Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it’s over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days”.
Have you read Room? What did you think? Are you going to read it?
I saw this book in the book shop last week and picked it up several times. Next time I’ll have to buy it, from reading your review. It sounds wonderful. Also, I loved the (UK) hardback edition, it’s beautiful.
Oh you should definitely get this one, Judith – I think you’d really enjoy it.
I’ve read it a couple of weeks ago and also loved it. It’s rare to find a book with a credible child voice, especially one so precocious and with such a unusual upbringing.
Did you also feel your pulse beat faster in the carpet scene? How well written was that?
I agree, Alex – I usually get put off by child narrators but this one is so cleverly done.
Yes, the carpet scene was great – I just loved how attached Jack was to that stained old rug too, wanting to keep it.
This is definitely going on my to-read list. Nice review.
I listened to a podcast last week from the BBC (Open Book) that spoke about this novel and others loosely based on true-life events and how Room brought a different perspective to the story since it is told from the child’s point of view. Very interesting.
It’s a great book, Sue, I think you’d like it. Let me know if you read it.
This premise is so creepy to me that I’m probably never going to read this book, in spite of the numerous rave reviews I’ve seen of it. My nightmares are already nightmarey enough without feeding them. :p
It’s not at all scary, Jenny, honestly. It’s a great book.
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this as much as I did. I loved the Niffenegger quote too
It is my favourite book of 2010 so far and I really hope it makes the Booker short list.
I hope so too, Jackie – I’ll be very upset if it doesn’t. It would be good for an enjoyable book to win rather than something that has the literary bods wetting their knickers!
I just pulled this one out of my New York boxes yesterday! I too have seen the raving reviews and know I need to get tot his one soon.
Sheila, you should so read this one soon – I really think it would be right up your street. Enjoy!
I have my copy and am reading it as soon as I finish my current reads whoich should be towards the end of the weekend. Im really looking forward to it.
Yay, can’t wait to hear what you think Jess.
Good to know it’s worth the hype! I keep hearing about it, but your review has made me infinitely more curious.
Read it, read it read it! You have to read it Wallace, it’s “unputdownable”
Your review is excellent, but this one just doesn’t appeal to me. I find myself very reluctant to read about suffering children, but doubtless this is very welll done and deserves its place on the Booker longlist
Tom, that’s what I loved about this book – because Jack has grown up in this environment he doesn’t know any better so he isn’t suffering; in fact he enjoys his life. It’s really quite uplifting.
I’d never heard of this book before, but now I want to read it. Thanks for this review, I’ll definitely look out for this book!
Nikki-Ann, I hope you enjoy – it’s a great book. Would love to hear if you read it.
Room is so on the list! I’ve been seeing this around and continue to get more and more excited to read it!! Can’t wait to pick it up!
Hurray! I’t a great book – hope you enjoy
Great review! “Room” is now in my to-read list.
Thanks Sophie – I hope you really enjoy
Isn’t this one on the Booker list? I think? it’s up for some award, I’m sure of it. And no bloody wonder, with a review like yours. I’m going to see if we have it at the store.
(Crap. How many times have I said that about a book this week alone? I’m not going to have a paycheque by the end of it!)
Whoops, we don’t get it here till Sept. 7.
It’ll be worth the wait, Steph. And anyway, what do we need paychecks for if not books? What else is there to buy? Nothing, I tell ya!
I loved Room too, it will definitely be one of my top reads this year. I too don’t like misery memoirs or anything about abuse but this novel is refreshingly different in that Jack shines out as a beacon of hope, he’s what keeps Ma going. I’ve read and enjoyed quite a few books with child narrators but Jack stands out among them – an excellent novel.
I agree, Treez, I don’t like mis mem’s either but this is differnt – Jack doesn’t know he is different, he lives for the here and now and his Ma, nothing else.
TOTALLY want to read this. Thanks for confirming that I need to press ‘buy’ on my Amazon wishlist!
Press it, press it!
I do believe Room is my favorite book ever. I adored it, and I so hope it makes the shortlist. I absolutely concur about the Niffenegger quote too!
That quote just sums it up perfectly, doesn’t it Carrie?
I can’t think of any other books that are narrated by young children (that aren’t children’s books) so I’m very intrigued by this book. Excellent review!
I’ve read a few, Ash, and I find that some make me cringe. Not this one – it’s really cleverly done.
I’ve been dying to read this one for a while now after reading the first chapter! I’m glad that it’s living up to the amazing hype around it and when I finally do get a hold of it, I won’t be disappointed!
You definitely won’t be disappointed – I haven’t even seen one mediocre review for it yet, never mind a bad one. Enjoy!
This was definitely my book of the year. I thought it would win MAN Booker prize. I found it surprisingly hopeful at a time when we are going through a very difficult time in Ireland. Emma and her father, Denis, (an English Professor) were interviewed on Irish radio last Sunday and we got a wonderful insight into her development as a person and a writer. Denis Donghue wrote a memoir, Warrenpoint, about twenty years ago about his relationship with his own father.Towards the end he wrote, ‘My father filled all the space.’ Made me think of Jack and his relationship with Ma in Room.
Patricia, it’s a wonderful book isn’t it? I didn’t realise that her father was an English professor – he must be very proud.
[...] Room by Emma Donoghue [...]
Why did “The Finkler Question” win the booker? I work in a bookshop and nobody buys it! Surely “Skippy Dies” and “Room” were better?
[...] boofsbookshelf.com: I want to start by saying that I loved this book – loved it! When I see other reviews, prior to me reading a book, that state phrases like “unputdownable” and “kept me up all night” I tend to get very excited and have, in the past, been let down upon reading the book for myself. Not so with Room – believe the hype, people! Read the full review [...]
[...] boofsbookshelf.com: I want to start by saying that I loved this book – loved it! When I see other reviews, prior to me reading a book, that state phrases like “unputdownable” and “kept me up all night” I tend to get very excited and have, in the past, been let down upon reading the book for myself. Not so with Room – believe the hype, people! Read the full review [...]