Room is a profoundly moving novel told from the perspective of a five-year-old boy named Jack who has lived his whole life in one single room. The room is about 12-by-12 feet, but for Jack and his mother it's their entire world. He has no idea he is being held captive and he's completely unaware of the fact that there is life beyond these four walls. To him, it's home. To his mother, it's a prison.
As we get deeper into the book, we learn that his mother had been abducted about 7 years prior to the start of the novel and had been imprisoned in this backyard shed ever since. She's used as a sex slave by her captor for all 7 years, with Jack as the result. Despite being in such an abhorrent situation, his mother had managed to preserve his innocence and raise Jack in a nurturing and loving environment.
Being that it was written from a five-year-old's perspective, the writing will be different from your normal book. His vocabulary was definitely something I had to get used to, but it doesn't last the whole book. Don't let it hinder you from really immersing yourself into the darkness. His perspective was incredibly powerful. We know what's going on throughout this whole situation, but he does not. He's completely oblivious to his and his mother's imprisonment.
There are times when you get so wrapped up in their mundane everyday life that when his age and innocence peak out every now and then through something as simple as asking about the reality of what he sees on TV, you're quickly pulled back to Earth and you realize that this kid has never in his life stepped outside of this one room. His innocence isn't cute, it's heartbreaking. It was also poignant to see his mother try and smile and appease him during these times. I can only image the courage and strong will it took to have so much love and patience to give considering so much had been taken from her.
This book is certainly not a light read, it left me reeling for days. But that's how I like 'em.
- IM
