Emma Donoghue’s ‘Room’ (Review)
So, what can I say about Room?
The first thing you should know about this book is that its friggin’ brilliant. It will blow your mind in its haunting narrative and punch you in the gut over and over with its honest portrayal of the worst circumstances ever.
The second thing you should know is that it will, definitely, undoubtedly, no matter who you are, make you cry. That’s a fact.
Room, written from the point of view of Jack, tells the story of a young boy and his mother as they build a world within one little Room. That’s right. They’re prisoners there. Not that Jack knows this, of course. To him, Room is all there is.
When writing in the voice of a child, there are so many opportunities to spoil what is essentially a very sensitive subject, but Donoghue manages to do so with such raw honesty that it only serves to strengthen this masterpiece’s impact. It will leave you reeling and the world will no longer look the same.
I confess that the reason I decided to read this book, or indeed heard of it at all, was when I stumbled across the film trailer after a particularly long session of YouTube bingeing. I instantly knew that this was a book that I needed to read, and when I saw it in Sainsbury’s for just £3.99 (bargain!), I was delighted. And it only got better from there.
I couldn’t put it down. Room had me hooked from start to finish, first building up a relationship between the reader and the adorable Jack, drawing you into his little world and then slowly, slowly, tearing it down as Jack, though so young, if forced to step up and be a man.
While the book no doubt owes its success to its excellent narrative and sensitive treatment of the subject matter, it is more than possible that its popularity is strengthened by the fact that it is based on a number of true stories, combining the cases and experiences of kidnapped and raped women to make one heart-wrenching story here.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t mind a few (okay, a bucket load) of tears, and who doesn’t mind having their stars ripped out of the sky and reordered every once in a while. This book will change your life.
You can find Emma Donoghue’s Room on Amazon for £6.29 now.
