Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Because I don't have enough things in my life to keep me occupied, when I went to the library last week to return the two books I couldn't manage to read in the three weeks allotted, I was pulled by some unknown force to pick up a book that I had been wanting to read since Jennifer Weiner wrote about it on her blog.

(Just so there is no confusion, I am not friends with Jennifer Weiner. It is very likely she doesn't know I exist. I just happen to have liked her facebook fan page, read her blog, have her website bookmarked, and follow her on twitter.)

(But in case you wondering, she is my favorite author. I have read everything she has written to date. Plus she has a new book out in July! And a show coming to ABC Family!)

So if my BFF, Jennifer Weiner recommended a book, I knew it was a must-read.

Finally, after months of waiting, I was able to get my hands on a copy of Room by Emma Donoghue. Because of the popularity of the book, the library had a seven-day borrow on it rather than the regular twenty-one. Well, I accepted the challenge.

Room is a fictional account of a mother and son that is imprisoned in an eleven-by-eleven outbuilding. The story was inspired by Ms. Donoghue after reading the 2008 news accounts of the Austrian father who held his daughter captive.

Interestingly, the story is told from the point of view of Jack, the five-year-old. His observations about his world around him and his interaction with his mother kept me captivated and unable to put the book down. Although completely sheltered from what we know as the world, Jack has the extraordinary ability to teach us what it is like to truly live and to love.

I laughed. I cried. I dreamed about Jack. Room was a rich read, written in such a unique voice, it will stay with me for quite some time. This is a book to put on your must-read list.

Just tell 'em that Jen and I recommended it.

photo credit: goodreads.com

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I read the aforementioned book by my own accord and all opinions are my own.

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