Review of Emma Donoghue's Room

Room is a dark, intimate, and exciting novel written by Emma Donoghue. While Donoghue is not new to the scene, her prose in this novel is definitely something that I have never seen before. Published in 2010, Room has already inspired a film adaptation (screenplay written by Donoghue). I have yet to view this film, but if it is anything like the book, then it will captivate audiences in a passionate way to which only a horrific love story can compare.

One of the things I loved about Room was that you really have to search hard to find a summary or spoiler.  When I purchased Room, I had only the cover and the reviews printed on the back to go on.  Which isn’t a lot.  Normally I only read books that are recommended to me but after spending hours upon hours flipping the pages of Donoghue’s book, I was very glad to have made an exception.

As I turned the pages of the book, it felt like I was slipping in and out of consciousness, forced back into the most simple, primal mode of thought.  Donoghue’s ability to trap a reader in this unconventional love story that doubles as a nightmare is astounding and on this blank canvas of on this canvas Donoghue sketches characters so real and so relatable they could be the neighbors next door.

Written from the perspective of five year old, Jack, Donoghue uses minimalist language and vivid descriptions to paint a picture of innocence and horror.  Ma and Jack’s restrictions are physical, and by nature, leading to psychological, sociological, and physiological restrictions that build a brilliant metaphor for the unbreakable bond between mother and child.

Donoghue forces her readers to question what they would do in Ma’s situation.  Heroic protection from the outside world, or knowledge about the inaccessible “outside?”  Without giving too much away, we are forced to put ourselves in Ma’s shoes.  What would we do to protect the one we love, knowing that they could be taken away at any moment?

Room can be purchased for a next-to-nothing price from Amazon or any book-seller. Due to it's mysterious nature and growing popularity, Room is not a hard book to find. Happy reading!