By Ashleigh A.
The author of the book ROOM Emma Donoghue,this story is a narrative fiction.The story was published in August of 2010. After the novel was published it quickly became a bestseller. Over two millions copies have been sold. It won her many awards such as the Hughes & Hughes Irish novel of the year and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize (for best Canadian novel). She has also written other novels. Some are; Frog Music, which is a murder mystery. The sealed letter, life mask and slammerkin. The book room is being turned into a film and will be out in the U.S in 2015.
The book ROOM is separated into five different sections; presents, unlying, dying, after, and living. The book is about an emotional journey or a mother and son. The narrator of the story is a five year old boy named Jack. The son of the mother that was abducted 7 years ago. The man who had abducted the mother is known as Old Nick in the book. He had impregnated the mother and that is how Jack was born. The boy has never seen the real world. He cannot decipher what is TV and what is real, he believes everything is fake but "room", him and his mom. The two were stored in a shed that was made into a room which had a lock pad to get in and out of. Nick is a very bitter man, he does what he wants and gets it by manipulation and abuse. Jack happens to be the narrator of the story.Though, Jack had no idea why they were there. When he turned five he started asking many questions so his mom decided to reveal that she was taken by the man they call Old Nick. This stirs up a lot of emotions and actions. Will they ever be saved? Will Jack ever see the real world? These are all questions that will be answered in the novel.
There were a lot of strengths and weaknesses to the story. Some things that worked and liked was the bond between the mother and son, no matter what living conditions they were in they had each other and that's all that seemed to matter. This book could also serve as a wake up call to people, it made me value my family and life more. It makes you realize your life truly could be different. Another thing they received was something called "Sunday treat" . Sunday treat was anything they needed in the house such as; food, medicine etc…They only got things on those days, so when they ran out of food they ran out. They barely had any possessions. This was a strength because it shows people can live a rich life without having millions of possessions.The characters were very distinct. You had three people you see mostly the whole book; Jack, Ma, and Old Nick. Jack is young and inquisitive, Ma is angry yet loving and Old Nick is manipulative and cruel.
There were also some weaknesses. The narrator of the novel was the five year old boy, so it was all over the place. He also didn't know was was real or just on TV. He was so sheltered he thought everything was fake besides what was in front of him. Which kind of aggravated me, the mother could tell him there is life outside "Room"but instead she doesn't until he turns five. She then decides to tell him how there is a whole world out there which causes mass confusion. It would have been better if she slowly throughout the story told him about the outside world instead of everything all at once. Jack also referred to furniture and items as a he or she. Which was strange. She would call the rug a she, he felt as if those were his friends.Though, the story was great, more information on Nick would have been helpful.
I would recommend this book. If you are a type of person who likes an emotional and powerful stories this is the story for you. The book is very powerful and is an eye opener. It also shows what or relates to others who have been abducted and what they go through. Some have it worse, some have it better. Either way, it gives you an idea what it is like to feel lost, to not know where you are or in Jack's case that there is even a world outside of this confined space.
Amazon, local library, Emma Donoghue, ROOM 321 Pages.
Resources:
This title is crap.
ReplyDelete