Review -- Room by Emma Donoghue

Room
by Emma Donoghue
Little, Brown & Company, 2010
321 pages

Summary (from Barnes and Noble): To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough…not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Review: This novel's narrator is very unique and author Emma Donoghue does a fantastic job writing the story from a five year old boy's perspective. This novel is intense but you almost are shielded from the danger because at times Jack doesn't feel it. He trusts his Ma almost completely and does what she says. There is also the barrier of a five year old's vocabulary, so the reader needs to infer what is happening to Jack or what some of the objects he is talking about are. Overall, a fantastic, intense, and engrossing read. Many bloggers placed this book on there Top 10 lists for 2010 and deservedly so. Rating: ***** out of 5