Goodreads Summary:
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.
My review:
Absolutely amazing! Its hard to remember that a) this isn't a real story and b) the author is not a 5 year old child! Its practically impossible to put the book down! And you'll want to tell everyone about it!
The world that Jack sees is so different from our own and this changes the way he sees everything. It was hard not to be both shocked and charmed by his outlook on life. The fact that he is the one who tells the story (in his own words) means that the reality only gradually unfolds, giving the reader time to come to terms with the horrible truth and softening the effect of what could be a very disturbing topic.
The story is clearly based on reality, but everything is so vivid that it's hard to believe that its not really some sort of strange memoir. You feel like you're watching some sort of diary-room entry from a reality TV show at times. At other times its like Jack is writing a secret diary that only you hold the key to. This is what makes the book so hard to put down- the fact that, for a short while, it actually becomes part of your life.
Everyone should read this book! But choose your moment carefully, as its not relaxing by any means!
Action Reader's Action: Change a child's life! Spend some time volunteering a local school, or children's club. Or sponsor a child through a charity.
What's the most shocking book you've ever read?
