7/50: Room by Emma Donoghue

Room by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had a hard time rating this book. At the beginning I was defnintely thinking 2 stars. It was boring and Jack was irritating. Then I got to the half way mark. Thinking at that point a 4 for sure. I'm finished and I have to give it a 3.5 rating.

Room was up and down for me. I didn't like it at first and it took me a long time to get into it. I took almost 2 weeks to read half of it. A few of my book club girls urged me to finish it and I am happy I did. By the time I reached the half way mark, I had this need to know what happens next. It slowed down near the end again, but I did end up finishing it and I think I will think about it for a while yet.

It is written from 5 year old, Jack's point of view. I felt exhausted when reading it trying to keep up to the changing topics and figuring out what he was referring to. Donoghue did a great job at capturing the voice of a child, and then she took it further by having him live in an 11x11 room for the first 5 years of his life. When Jack and "Ma's" world expands to the world we know, we get to relearn everything through Jack's eyes. All of the things we see every day and take for granted are so new and exciting it makes you feel like you're discovering the world all over again. Jack teaches the reader a little bit about living on only what you need, because that's all he's ever done. Ma and Jack lived in Room for 5 years (7 for Ma) surviving only on what they had. Makes you think about all the extra stuff we have an if it's really necessary.

Room is a good read and I recommend it for someone who needs something real. It's a little depressing, but there are truly happy moments as well.

Nest Book Club - February Read
WBC 2011 - Read Jan, Feb, or March Nest Book Club choice; 15 points
EBook Challenge 2011 - 3/12


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