Room By Emma Donoghue

ISBN: 0330519018

Published: July 2010

Published By: Picador

Jack is four years old and lives in Room with his Ma. He and Ma, eat, sleep, play, exercise and watch TV in Room. Jack believe that all the things he sees on the TV are not real. However, on his fifth birthday Ma tells him the terrible secret of Room. When she was a teenager "Old Nick" kidnapped her and has kept her locked up in a room 12 feet by 12 feet for seven years. Jack, born in the room has never been out in the real world. 

Room is inspired by recent cases of long term confinement, such as that of Elizabeth Fritzl. This book so easily could have focused on kidnapper and  been distasteful and sensationalist , but instead it takes a much more human path. The story is narrated by Jack, and through his eyes we understand the dangers to which he is oblivious and his mother's efforts to keep him safe, happy and healthy.  

The book is split into sections, the first introduces the reader to the horrific situation Ma and Jack find themselves in, the middle section see their escape plans come to fruition, whilst the final part sees Jack try to cope with learning about the world and adjusting to living alongside more than just his Ma. It is this section which is the most absorbing. All those things we learn as children, slowly over many years, Jack has to learn rapidly. Throughout Jack's terror at the world, Ma is there to help him learn despite her own difficulties in adjusting. 

This is not a book about abduction, but a book about a child's understanding of the world, and a mother's need to protect her child come what may. Despite the headline grabbing plot, this is a book which is both heartwarming and heart wrenching, and left me hoping that Ma and Jack have a long and happy life enjoying their freedom.

Comments

[Helen Carolan]

This is amazing book took me three days to read and I could not put it down thank you for the review.