Room - By Emma Donoghue (Irish Canadian author) - book review

I am not sure if the word interesting should be used for the tragic event of the story. It is not uncommon to read of teenage girls being kidnapped by human ogres and being repeatedly abused. But to be held in captivity for 7 long years in a single Room with no glimpse of the outside world sounds terrible in itself. And juxtaposing the fact that the result of such abuse turned out to be the birth of a child, a boy for whom the Room is his and his Ma’s world because he has never seen anything beyond since birth. His realization of the outside world is through a television which his Ma has imposed as being unreal. So he is made to believe that all the people, the animals, nature that he sees are real only in TV but unreal otherwise. The only real things are his Ma, himself, the rug, their bed, the skywalk, his meltedy spoon etc.

The story is about the unconvincing daringly formulated escape of this kid from the clutches of the bad guy and eventually of his Ma. The story is about the ‘Outside’ that he never had, never saw; the outside that is turning out to be so difficult for not only the five year old Jack but even so for his Ma. So many questions are ruffling his curious little brain, so many unanswered questions, difficult questions; so many answers that were answered convincingly yet differently by his Ma that they now sound as a lie.

It felt like reading a grown up Enid Blyton story. The story is Jack’s narrative, the 5 year little boys version. The author has been successful in creating the language, the lyric of a child; a happy child whose only world is his Ma and this Room. Though the plot is seemingly interesting, I felt it is more for those who would look at a sweet kid and go gaga “How sweet, my poochu poochu, what a cutie pie”. But then you move on right? Though it is fun for Jack to narrate what he ate and what he played and when he pooed; it gets a little boring for the reader and you don’t want to read between the lines but in fact skip quite a few. For quite a few times in the initial part of the book, I was wondering if I should brave myself reading through it, but I eventually did. As is rightly written in one of the reviews on the cover of the book “It should be finished in one read”. Yes, else you might think twice before continuing! Am surprised it was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 2010.

My rating : 5 out of 10

Emma Donoghue