Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Room By Emma Dognoghue

I just finished reading Room by Emma Donoghue.
Room by Emma Donoghue
It came out back in 2010, but somehow, I didn't hear about it until recently.

Lately, thanks to Serial, I've been listening to podcasts-A whole world of podcasts I'm only just now discovering!  One I'm really enjoying is the Slate Audio Book Club.  I had listened to a few episodes, of books I've already read.  These book reviews do contain spoilers, so it's important to have read the book before listing to the podcast.  I heard the very beginning of the episode where they discuss Room.  It sounded so interesting, I had to force myself to stop listening to the podcast, and get the book in my hands.

I read the book in about 3 days.  It's very hard to put down.

Although it's fiction, it certainly could be true.  It reminded me of the recent news story of Ariel Castro, who kidnapped 3 girls and held them captive for years.

In this story, Jack, who just turned 5, is our narrator.  He's lived with his mother in Room for his entire life.  His mother was kidnapped 7 years ago, where she and Jack have remained in captivity all this time.

His narration was a little annoying to me at first- disjointed sentences, incorrect grammar- the voice of a 5 year old that has never been in the world or around anyone but his mother.  But his perspective gave the story an innocence that made it bearable, unlike if it had been told by anyone other than a child.  For him, living in this Room is his normal.  He doesn't long for things he doesn't even know exist.  But the story doesn't remain in Room the entire time. (Thank God!) So it gets even more interesting...(I won't say more, because I don't want to spoil anything.)

Anyway, it's a great read, and not as painful to read as you might think.  Very powerful.

So check out the book, and then check out the podcast

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