#41

#41 Room by Emma Donoghue

Five year old Jack and his mother are being held captive in a small storage room in the backyard of an older man. Jack's mother was kidnapped when she was 19 years old and has been held prisoner in this room for 7 years. Jack and his mother are provided limited food and clothing, but are never allowed to leave. Jack believes Room is the whole world and has no desire to ever leave thanks to his mother who has created a happy and entertaining life within the four walls of Room. When his mother begins talking about escaping, Jack can't understand why she would ever want to leave their home.

The story is narrated in the voice of Jack, and it was interesting to listen to a young boy's perspective of the horrible situation, but I quickly became annoyed with him. I feel like a bad person for saying so, but I just couldn't appreciate his voice. I kept imagining him as one of those annoying squeaky-voiced children you can't stand to listen to and I found myself often thinking, "Seriously? Seriously..." Perhaps this all goes back to my childless life, but I just couldn't get into this story.

Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from reading, but this just wasn't the right one for me.

Moving on!