Room by Emma Donoghue

Difficulty level (easiest to hardest) - 5


Emotional level (least to most) - 7

Action (little to a lot) - 5

Room, by Emma Donoghue is a perfect read for a weekend. I wouldn't recommend reading this novel during the week - like I found - because I found that I wanted to read until the very end, and would try to find as much time as possible to read.

The novel told from the perspective of Jack, a 4 year old boy (but his 5th birthday is right at the beginning of the novel) who lives in a room with his mother. They don't go out of Room because they can't. Every night, Jack sleeps in Wardrobe until after 9pm, when Old Nick either comes into Room, or doesn't.

I would say that the novel is easy to read because it is told from Jack's perspective - although it is worth noting that he is very advanced in his vocabulary, sentence structure, and math, for his age. Due to the way this story is told, it is difficult for a reader to not throw themselves into Room with Jack and his mother, play with Snake or Labyrinth, watch Dora, or run on Racetrack. An emotional investment is necessary to get through the novel.

The novel is problematic because all of the characters didn't seem real enough to me. Not much is known about Jack's mom, even though she is central to Jack's life. The first half of the book required an emotional investment, but the second half felt rushed. I think Donoghue intended the second half to be rushed, and it makes sense, but I just didn't like it.

It's worth mentioning that I started reading this novel the week that Amanda Berry and the two other women were saved from a similar situation in Cleveland.

Overall rating (poor to excellent) - 9

Quotes from the novel:

“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.” ― Ma

“Stories are a different kind of true.” ― Ma

“Goodbye, Room." I wave up at Skylight. "Say goodbye," I tell Ma. "Goodbye, Room." Ma says it but on mute. I look back one more time. It's like a crater, a hole where something happened. Then we go out the door.” ― Jack