Room

I also finished reading Room by Emma Donoghue this week.  I must confess, this one I started reading quite a while ago but just didn't finish.  I am glad I did, though.

Room is told from the point of view of a little boy who turns five part way through the book.  The first half is alright.  I wasn't overly impressed, but Donoghue does an excellent job of telling what's going on through the eyes of a five year old and making it believable without being annoying.

It's the second half that I loved.  Here's your warning - I am going to give away one tiny bit of the book.  So, stop here if you don't want to know anything about what happens in the second half.  The way Donoghue treats the transition from Jack and Ma's captivity to their freedom  is amazing.  She contrasts Jack's sense of fear and distrust of anything that isn't Room with Ma's intense craving for life to be normal again.  Those conflicting points of view are what really make the second half for me.

Again, I am torn between loving the ending and being frustrated at not having a clear happy ever after.  I won't say what happens in the end but there are a number of questions unanswered at the end.  On the other hand, Donoghue chose a brilliant place to end the book as well.

I would say that this is a book worth checking out for anyone interested in fiction, relationships, psychology, or things along those lines.  Think Jaycee Dugard, even though this was written before she was discovered.