A Mother and Her Child

Danny Miller

Room
By Emma Donoghue

Being locked up in jail is not a particularly pleasant experience. Now, imagine that "jail" is your home. A young woman has been imprisoned in a small 11x11 room with her son, Jack, and for years, she has been trying to figure a way out. She believes she has tried everything, but after Jack is born, his presence in her life revives the sense of hope that she had long lost.

"Nobody's going to rescue us." 

I don't say anything. And then I say, "You don't know everything there is" (104).

Ma doesn’t have anyone else to turn to, so she trusts Jack, possibly due to a lack of sanity, but mainly because of the strong bond between a mother and her child. Jack reaches the age of five, which, in his eyes, is a big step for him. He learns the truth, and he begins to help Ma devise an escape plan.

“We could do what we liked, we’d be free.” 

“When I’m six?” 

“Definitely some day” (92).

I’ll be honest, when I first read the description of this book, I thought it would be quite a depressing tale, but after having read even just the first half of it so far, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone and everyone. While at an extreme, it is relatable to today’s world, and even though the conflict is not mentioned until about ninety pages in, it is consistently hinted at, and this forced me to keep reading to get a better grasp - I became utterly consumed in the story.

Also, it is incredible how perfectly the author, Emma Donoghue, puts the reader right into the shoes of Jack, while also conveying all the details of the story. Being in first person from Jack's perspective, I went through all the same emotions, I had the same curiosity, and I had all the same thoughts that he had. It almost felt like the story was about me.

And you'd be surprised by the action that occurs in a book that takes place almost entirely in one room. A risk is taken; a serious one, for that matter. Regardless of the consequences of this risk, it will be difficult to put down this book.

If you are afraid of taking chances, this book is for you. It will reach into your very soul and grab that little bit of hidden ambition, and it will drive you to do things you never thought you could, things you thought were impossible. You will learn that, no matter the difficulty of the situation, sometimes you have to be brave, and sometimes you have to face your fears to overcome an issue.