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Emma Donague’s 2010 book Room is a story of a mother’s love for her son and a child’s unknowing innocent view on the world.  Narrated by a five-year old Jack, Room goes inside the brain of a child who lives in an 11×11 room with his mother. For him it’s his home; for his mother it’s their prison.

Room, set to be released on the big screen next month in a movie directed by Lenny Abrahamson, can be categorized into two sections, the good part and the bad part.  Half of the book was so mind-blowingly good that I just could not believe I had never read this book before.  But sadly, the feeling did not last, for the second half was a drag and was tiresome to read.

Jack has just turned five.  He’s been in Room for five whole years, Ma even more.  He doesn’t know why they yell and bang pans every day, though Ma says just in case anyone’s listening.  He doesn’t know why ma flicks the lamp light on and off every night, though Ma says it’s just a game.  He doesn’t know why sometimes Ma won’t get up from bed and stares straight ahead with a blank look in her eyes. He calls this her gone days.  He doesn’t’ understand why he has to hide inside the wardrobe when Old Nick comes in, but he does so willingly, not wanting to upset his mother.  Jack doesn’t know anything, except that he was born and raised in Room.  And in Room they live, his mother tending to all of Jack’s childly needs, trying to make sure he has the best childhood he could possibly have despite the circumstances.

Jack and his mother are close, a little too close for my taste, but they share and do everything.  It’s a love that cannot be broken.  But as the days go on the love is not enough and Jack gets more curious as to what’s outside Room, and his mother is restless until finally both of them cannot take it any longer. They both know Room cannot hold them any longer and devise a plan to escape.  In a matter of days the trap is set.  Jack is to act sicker and sicker each day until finally he is to pretend to be dead.   His mother, being the smart, cunning woman she is, wraps him up in a carpet and tells Old Nick that he has passed.  While Old Nick takes Jack away to bury him Jack is to run away and does.

And this is where the story ends.  Not really, but for me it did.  After this all you really need to know is Jack escapes and if you want to know the fate of his mother you’ll have to read and find out.

Jack was the typical five year old, despite living in Room and all. He was believable as a child and the author did a brilliant job getting into a child’s head … for the first half of the book.  After that it was all downhill from there.  At times I was cringing because of the stuff he did. He just had no limits.  Especially with his mother.  They had a strong connection to each other but there needs to be boundaries at some point.  Ma, on the other hand, was not so brilliant.  Although she was admirable, it was hard to characterize her for at times I didn’t what she was thinking or feeling.  She was kind of emotionless.  But I guess being in a room for seven years can do that to you.

Finally, although he wasn’t talked about much and didn’t talk much himself, Old Nick was extremely interesting.  Because of the lack of description you could really portray him as anything.  He was a monster, of course.  But he was also mysterious and intriguing.

In conclusion I loved the first half of Room because it was thrilling, disturbing, and sad at the same time.  But on the other hand I hated the second half because it was boring and seemed to drag on.

This book is for those who are not of the faint of heart and can handle cruel and vial scenes.  And if you are looking at a love story this is not the book for you.  This book is for realists, not dreamers.