‘Room’ offers a terrifying look at a kidnapped life
“Room” was never supposed to be a psychological thriller. A loss of innocence story, maybe. A story about a mother-son bond, probably. A heartbreaking kidnapping account, definitely.
Whatever author Emma Donoghue’s intentions were, she left me and many other avid readers stuck in the pages of her story, minds racing as twisted plots unfolded by the chapter.
“Room” is the story of Jack and Ma, a mother and son stuck in a single room for five years, with only “Old Nick” to come in and hand them food once a week. Jack has never known anything outside the room. It’s where Ma gave birth to him, and as far as he’s concerned anything outside the room is outer space. In a unique and compelling twist, the entire story is told from 5-year-old Jack’s perspective. The way that Donoghue is able to imitate the find a innocent, young child is both incredible and haunting.
To Jack, everything is personified. Not knowing how to teach her son basic concepts without tools, everything from toilet paper tubes to egg shells are made into a game. To Jack, everything is alive, because it’s all he knows. For Jack, the room is full of adventure. To Ma, it’s a suffocating hole of death where she counts the days until her rescue.
The mother-son bond in this book is unexplainable. For Ma, Jack is the only thing she stays alive for. As her body falls apart from lack of nutrition, constant rape and the unclean environment of the 11-by-11 foot room, she finds herself clinging to the young boy, who doesn’t have the ability to provide any emotional support.
When, through a dramatic plot change, the Ma and Jack are forced outside of the room, their bond is tested. They are pushed apart both emotionally and physically. The latter half of the book, which accounts this, left me with chills. As good as the storytelling was, I’m a weakling and had a hard time with some graphic material. This is not a book for the young or the faint of heart.
There’s always a debate in my mind whether fairly explicit fiction titles such as “Room” should be as open as they are. I should be clear – the book was absolutely addictive and wonderfully written – but the ideas in it were disturbing and twisted. I understand tragedy like kidnapping and rape happen on a daily basis, but it’s a little harder for me to swallow if I know it’s not a true story being told. With fiction like this, it’s easy to make serious events seem like just stories.
Despite my apprehensions in this area, I think Donoghue research comes out clearly in her writing. I don’t think she could have written in the wide range of emotions she did without knowing her subject matter through and through.
Just a warning, when you pick this up make sure you have a few hours. You won’t put it down. This comes from a girl who hates horror stories, thrillers and anything that makes her stomach turn. “Room” did all of the above, but in a good way. I can easily say it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year, maybe the best. It was an excellent book to end the summer with.
– alexandria.evensen@aggiemail.usu.edu