Jack is now five and, like any little boy, excited at the prospect of presents and cake. But although Jack is a normal child in many ways, his upbringing is far from ordinary: Jack's entire life has been spent in a room that measures just 12 square feet; as far as he's concerned, Room is the entire world. He shares this world with his mother, with Plant, and TV and his friends the cartoon characters - but Jack knows that nothing else he sees on the screen is real. Old Nick, on the other hand, is all too real, but only visits at night - when Jack is meant to be asleep in Wardrobe. And only Old Nick has the code to Door, which is otherwise locked... Told in Jack's voice, 'Room' is the story of a mother's love for her son, and of a young boy's innocence.
This is an unusual and strange kind of novel that tells the story of 5 year old Jack and Ma, his mother, who live in a locked room measuring 11ft square. The story begins on Jack’s 5th birthday and it is told entirely in Jack’s voice. It becomes apparent very early on that Jack has spent his whole life in this locked room and has no concept of the world beyond those walls. It is only on his 5th birthday that he starts to ask the questions of his mother that reveal there is something else out there. When I began reading Room I found it disturbing, which I’m sure was the intention of the Author.
The voice of a 5 year old took a while to get used to and at first was unappealing. And then that awkward child’s voice takes you by the hand and leads you through the astonishing circumstances of the character’s lives. Ma was 19 when she was abducted as she crossed a path on her way to university. So yes it is a harrowing story that appeals to the question – What if something like that happened to me or someone I love? It is a story that the media would treat with sensationalism and a good deal of gratuitous information. In Donaghue’s hands it becomes one of the more inventive and original voices that I have read in sometime. At times Donaghue contrives, (and this is one of the real achievements of the book) to make the reader envious of the simplicity of life in a Room that measures 11 by 11. I think readers reactions are going to be personal and strong. Perfect for bookclubs as there is much to discuss and argue about, I am sure some will really love it and others who either hate it or won’t get past the unusual voice. Themes include survival, resilience, freedom, the power of a mother’s love, and the horrific role the media can play in our world.