Room

Summary (from the publisher): To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Review: This story is told by five year old Jack and Room is his entire world, but for his mother, it is the prison where she has been trapped for seven years. I found his mother's devotion to her child and ability to create a life for him within a 11X11 room deeply moving. I also loved how Donoghue managed to capture a child's perception as Jack tries to figure out the real world beyond Room. However, this book was also incredibly upsetting, especially knowing that similar situations have actually occurred.

Stars: 4