Room by Emma Donoghue

This is a book about a room and the two people who live in the room: Jack and his mother. Although fiction, the idea is based on a true story. It is well-written, and the first half is unbelievably gripping; in fact, I was unable to put it down. I loved the way it is written from the little boy, Jack’s, perspective and how the actual situation, and the reality of the room, dawns but slowly on the reader; after all, this is the only world Jack has ever known, and his mother has made sure that it is a safe and happy world (within obvious limitations). The nail-biting tension of the first part works to a climax and is then released, so it is understandable that the second part of the book has to be different. I’m not sure that the second part is as satisfying; perhaps it is not all that necessary; perhaps we do not need things to be ’rounded off’. However, disregarding certain reservations with the second half of the book, I would definitely recommend Room.