'Room' - Book Review
I am behind the times with this book. It was popular when it first came out in 2010, and again with the movie release in 2015. I have had it in my possession for a few years now but only just got around to reading it.
Room is a testament to the fact that there are some great Canadian authors out there that the broader public may not realize are Canadian. Emma Donoghue, originally from Ireland, became a Canadian citizen in 2004. She has a smattering of other works, a number of which have been nominated or have won literary awards. Donoghue has done a bit of everything, from novels and short stories to screenplays and stage plays. Additionally, she is a strong figure within the LGBTQ+ community; raising two children with her partner Christine.
Now let's talk about the book itself. Room is about a mother and son who live inside one room. 'Ma' was kidnapped at the age of 19 and has not seen the outside world since. 'Jack' is her five-year-old son. Jack was born in the room and has never known anything beyond it. He is fast friends with most of the objects in his life, like Rug and Jeep and Meltedy-Spoon.
One of the most unique features of the novel is that it is written from start to finish from 5-year-old Jack's perspective. He narrates, and all the reader knows is what Jack can comprehend. I have read a few critiques of the novel that cite this narrative style as problematic. They feel that Jack as narrator makes the story confusing and perhaps even boring.
Certainly, this is not an action story. Despite the fact that it is about captives, it is not particularly scary or even necessarily that dark. However, to criticize the novel for that is, I believe, to miss the entire point.
Given the subject matter, the story could be horrifying. It could focus on kidnapper 'Old Nick' and his frequent visits to rape Ma while Jack hides in the wardrobe. It could focus on Ma's expected mental health difficulties from being held captive for almost a decade. It could focus on the misery and claustrophobia of living in one small space for an extended period of time.
Yet, Donoghue chooses to focus on none of those things. They are present. The reader knows that when Jack says Ma is Gone, she is facing inner demons. The reader knows that the creaks that Jack counts from the wardrobe represent the movements of Old Nick raping his mother. But despite the knowledge that terrible events are occurring and that a horrible experience is being lived through, Jack presents the other perspective.
He doesn't like Old Nick. He is concerned about Ma and her well-being. But he is fairly content on the whole. He is the representation of looking at the bright side of life in the extreme. As someone who knows nothing else, he appreciates every small thing that he does have. Jack is curious and outgoing despite the physical limitations of his world, and any inconsistencies or confusion caused by such a young narrator just brings the story to life even more.
Donoghue dares to present a terrible story through a wholly unexpected lens, and in doing so makes the reader stop to reconsider what is important in life and evaluate their own actions and values.
This is not a thriller, but you will get so much more out of it than if it happened to be just that.
