Room

by Emma Donoghue

"To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another."

The premise of Room intrigued me immediately, however I wondered how an entire novel would be written on its concept. Emma Donoghue was able to craft, however, the experiences of the characters as they moved past their confinement, presenting realistic reactions that made the situation all the more chilling. I love this book because it is believable, and though I cannot relate to it directly I can inexplicably sympathize with its protagonist on many levels.

The fact that Room is written from the perspective of a five year old is one of the components that makes this story so unique. Jack's innocence permeates the pages. His genuine questions are full of wonder and often adorable. He sees his own experience through a lens that has been narrowed for his own benefit, one that allows him to move past the potential terror of his predicament. Instead, Jack lives happily, even developing an affectionate attachment to his environment, and that is all thanks to Ma.

Ma is an inspiring example of determination, dedication, and courage. I admire her for her decisions, as difficult as they may have been to take, and for the strength she presented in the actions she took for her son. Her description of the way that Jack saved her is completely comprehensive, and I found myself rooting for her all throughout the novel.

Room is dark and yet layered with lighthearted dialogue, contemplative and complex. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

5/5 stars.