Tolog Review: Room

Room
by Emma Donoghue
reviewed by Sarah Hanks

Room by Emma Donoghue tells the horrifying story of a mother and son pair held in captivity. The book is narrated by Jack, a five year old boy. The only world Jack knows is the room he was born in that spans, “eleven feet going both ways,” (Donoghue 19). The only people Jack’s interacted with are his mom and their captor, Old Nick. Old Nick, as Jack refers to him, abducted Jack’s mom when she was nineteen years old and has kept her in a single room ever since, only visiting when he wants her to please him. Jack learns about his mom’s past through the stories she tells him. Despite the limited details we get from the narrator, the reader is able to understand the struggles Jack’s mother is going though due to seven years of confinement. The story examines the effects captivity has had on Jack and his mother. 

The novel begins on Jack’s fifth birthday. Emma Donoghue uses en medias res to put the reader in the middle of the story. Jack’s entire world is turned upside down when his mom begins to plot their escape. She has attempted escape before, but all the plans have failed. Spurred by Old Nick’s recent lay off from work, she decides they must take action. However, Jack’s lack of interest in leaving causes his relationship with his mom to change. Because of Jack’s adolescent naivety, he is unable to process the dangers of Old Nick and the cruelty of his imprisonment. As relationship strains even more when she reveals how the world works to Jack, disrupting everything he thought to be true. Jack’s initial reaction to the revelations is that it’s “the most astonishing I ever heard” (59). But, as their plan of escape begins to progress Jack’s life begins to unravel more. All their hard work and planning leads to one night where everything must go perfectly in order to ensure their safety. 

I highly recommend Room to anyone who wants to become truly engrossed in a story and the lives of the characters. Although having to deal with a five year olds narration can be tedious, it adds a refreshing element to the novel. The distorted narration causes the reader to have to deduce what is going on around Jack. The suspenseful tone keeps the reader engaged and helplessly anticipating what will come next.