Emma Donaghue's Room

I'll be the first to admit it -- I am such a cheapskate!  And considering my hobbies include reading and collecting non-fiction novels (a very expensive hobby if you ask me), it can sometimes put a strain on one's monthly budget.  Most of the time I would be scouring through ebay.ph, Booksale or any other 2nd hand bookstore in order to satisfy my literary needs.

There are, however, times when my will power falters and I find myself indulging in a brand new novel, after thinking about it a number of times first.  Book lovers know that 2nd hand bookstores rarely carry new titles, normally appearing on their shelves a year or more after the original release date.

Hubby is so used to this habit of mine, and has already come to expect us visiting a certain bookstore one too many times before I am finally able to convince myself to purchase a brand new, recently released title.  Yes, its pathetic I know.  =)

When Emma Donaghue's Room came out recently, I just couldn't help myself and immediately bought a brand new copy.

Room is a novel about 5 year old Jack who doesn't even realize that he and his mom are prisoners of a man he calls "Old Nick."  To his young mind, their 11x11 room is the only world he knows -- he was born in the there and has spent 5 birthdays trapped as well.  What he doesn't realize is that the world as he knows it is slowly beginning to change and he will then be faced with new challenges in a new environment he knows totally nothing about.  Read the full summary here at Amazon.com.

Written in the POV of this smart 5 year old, the novel sort of reminds me of the movie Life is Beautiful, the Italian Roberto Benigni starrer.  Similar to Guido Orefice (the movie's protagonist), Jack's ma also tries her best to shield her son from the harsh realities of their situation, choosing instead to treat their world as a game.

This novel of Irish-born Emma Donaghue is a definite page turner.  It was interesting to see how their situation would play out in the long run and how they would adjust to both their current and new environments. 

I do, however, would love to have some parts of the novel written in Jack's ma's POV, as well.  Since the novel centers around Jack and his thoughts, expect to be left hanging on some important parts (like the first few years of his ma's captivity, etc.), some things that a 5 year old would have a hard time comprehending.

All in all, this book is definitely for keeps.  I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars.  =)