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Donoghue has taken the common story of a woman at the age of 19 who was kidnapped and imprisoned and turned it into a novel about the connection between a mother and a child, how they survived, and the human capacity to adjust. The novel is told from the point of view of five year old Jack. Room, an eleven by eleven foot space, is where Jack was born and the only place he knows. He sees other things on knows TV, but they are 'Outside' and Room is his and Ma's.

Ma is everything we can hope to be as parents. Her perseverance and undying love for her son that was born of a horrible series of events is just beautiful. She tried to give him answers to every possible question. The reader becomes impressed with the creative ways she educated him, kept him happy, and playful. Ma outside of Room was raw and real.

The reader meets Jack on his fifth birthday and through his eyes we watch how he and Ma survive - by playing, singing, reading, talking, and most of all, from keeping Old Nick, their captor, from getting angry. Jack and Ma live in a tiny world with routines and habits. For Jack, it is how the world is supposed to be. But when a series of events occur that changes everything, Jack and Ma must adjust and learn a new way to cope.

Because Jack is safely inside the wardrobe when Old Nick comes at night, the focus is rarely on the kidnapper. Instead, the reader comes to understand the intensity of the relationship between Jack and Ma - they depend on one another for their survival – and see the effects of long term isolation - physical, mental, and emotional, on both of them. There is an underlying horror at the conditions they face and the reality of the situation Ma is in, but it is softened because Jack has no frame of reference for it and does not comprehend all that happens around him. That he can cope is something of a miracle and a testament to our capacity to adapt.

The characters are powerful, believable, and the reader ends up caring for them. Jack's story, horrifying and uplifting, simple and complex, made it near impossible to put the book down. This novel is the best I've read this year so far. It was beautifully written with real feelings.

Enjoy! RABCK for E-less Release Challenge 2019

This lovely book arrived in the mail a couple of days ago, with adorable calendar leaves inside many pages.... I dug into it right away and am nearly finished with the remarkable tale, both sad and lovely. Many thanks to Booklady331 for sending it along and for her constant generosity!

I saw the movie years ago and so I knew the story, but reading it is a great experience! I cannot add anything to the fine review Booklady331 has given... and now I hope another reader will be equally entranced!

on the bench near the entrances