Oh man, how much did I love this book?
There are few things that make me everyday happier than unexpectedly loving a book. I read Room over a 24 hour period – couldn’t put it down, couldn’t walk away, and was so very happy to be inconvenienced. I thought this book was just a little bit magical.
Room is a dark story, but its telling is so undeniably joyful that you scarcly notice the tragedy for the whimsy. Written in the charming, shockingly believable voice of five-year-old Jack, Room is the tale of a young women held captive in a shed in a backyard (Jaycee Duggard, anyone?) and the young son to whom she gives birth. For the first five years of his life, Room is all Jack knows of the world. Its imaginatively personified pieces of furniture and books are his only friends, its dark and mysterious dictator is his only mystery, and its walls are the borders of his universe. Despite incredibly horrific circumstances, Jack’s mother creates a world of incredivle beauty for her son in their 12×12 cage – a world full of games and routines, fierce imagination and admirably little television. I loved Jack from the very first sentence, and loved routing for him as his small brain stretched to imagine bigger and bigger futures.
I know a few of you have read Room already, and I’m so very curious to hear your thoughts. If you haven’t, I’m happy to reccommend this one with confidence. Room might not be your favorite story, but it won’t bore you. It will leave you feeling a little sad, a little more aware, and a whole lot of victorious. What’s not to love?
Let me know what you think!
love.
Hi Karen, I also loved this book. I actually bought it twice digitally since I accidentally bought it on Chris’ device first. I was committed to reading it, so I bought it again for my Kindle. Like you, I read it fast and was really mesmerized by the concept of the story. You just root for that mom and little boy. Being a mother of small children, I just can’t imagine how she was able to pull it off. The characters are well done and I agree….a great read!
I LOVED this book. I also loved your review of it. Very much how I felt as well. It was dark and terrifyingly twisted, but there was something really beautiful about it. I couldn’t put it down. Also loved that it was told from Jack’s perspective because it made me have to think about what he was talking about. Nothing was described in a way we would expect – but somehow he described things in a peculiar, simple manner. Excellent, excellent book.