Thoughts: Room

Title: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Year: 2010
Length: 321 pages
First Lines: "Today I'm five.  I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I'm changed to five, abracadabra."


Room has been somewhat difficult for me to read.  I'm really not even thinking about the overall subject matter when I write this, even though the premise of the novel is troubling and all too real in our world.  I actually found it difficult to get into Room because of the language.

Room is narrated by 5-year old Jack, who has lived his entire life in an 11x11 foot room with his Ma.  Because the objects within this tiny room are all that Jack knows, he thinks of them in the same way that I would think of other people.  I had a hard time reading the personification of Room, Rug, Table, Wardrobe, and so forth.  Donoghue presents an entirely different way of thinking that ended up being a barrier for me; however, it was easier to read as the book progressed.  

I can't say that I "liked" Room.  That would seem strange to me.  I appreciated the originality.  I found Room both challenging and thought-provoking.  The characters frustrated me, but I also felt empathy towards them.  Jack's innocence offered a refreshing perspective at times.  I'm glad that I read Room, as it forced me to think about the way in which I view the world.