Room - Caroline van Winkel

Caroline van Winkel

Room

Emma Donoghue

Literary fiction, novel

Five year old Jack grew up in a locked room with only his Ma. He never knew about the outside world, until his Ma tells him that she had been kidnapped when she was 19, that all the kids Jack sees on TV are real, and all the other things he’s missing out on. After 7 long years, Ma is desperate to escape. However, the best plan they come up with, requires Jack to escape first, so he can tell the police and save Ma. This is tough for Jack, but he does manage. Once both Jack and Ma are free, they have to get used to basic things like sunlight, wind, and having almost no time.

Room is written in Jack’s perspective. This means that there are some grammatical errors, and that the vocabulary is not very advanced. The book is all about how important the first years of your life are, and how hard it can be to adapt. Emma Donoghue was inspired by the Fritzl case, where a father kept his daughter captive in their basement.

I liked the book a lot. The book is not hard to read, but it is about serious events. Room grabbed my attention immediately, but it faded away towards the end of the first chapter (there are 5 chapters). In the second chapter my attention came back. I was surprised by how Ma reacted to being free, but I understand her too. I really tried to imagine Jack’s life, and really felt with him, throughout the whole book. Emma Donoghue did a great job describing Room, and Jack’s life.

I would recommend the book to many people, both boys and girls. The book is not unrealistic, so people who like fantasy books would probably not like Room. I personally like realistic fiction books, and this book was great. People who like easy reads should not read Room, because Room is relatively serious. If you really want to connect to the book, you should read it in your room, with the door closed.