Room by Emma Donoghue is one of those rare times when I listen to popular opinion and read a much hyped book. Normally I stay away from the ones that are talked up and on Best seller lists but something about this book made me give it a shot and I am so glad I did.
Room is written from the perspective of a 5 year old boy but not to a degree that it is frustrating to read. It is more the insight of a five year old than the grammar and syntax so don't worry about the structural flow of the story itself. The book centers around a boy, his mother, and a room which completes the entire life experience of the five year old. It has a shadow of Plato's ancient story "The Allegory of the Cave" which, if you haven't read, I highly encourage you to do that. It is great philosophical and metaphorical story that will really get your mind working and make you think of a level everyday experiences don't force you too.
I don't want to describe too much of the story because it is unveiled as you go along and I don't want to take that opportunity away from the reader to discover the details for themselves. I will however say that I felt empathy when reading this book and that is a very difficult emotion to drag out of me. I feel sadness, anger, and happiness of characters in stories but rarely do I truly feel their emotions as my own and in this story I did. The most prominent of these emotions was frustration. I felt the frustration of the mother so much so that I had to take breaks from reading it in an attempt to separate myself from the character.
I don't know how anyone else will react to the story or if readers will identify with my reaction but this book hit a nerve in a large amount of people, enough to get it national acclaim and a spot on the best seller list.
If your looking for something a little different, with an emotional edge, I highly recommend Room. It is well worth the time it will take to read it and will not be a waste of the time you spend thinking about it afterwards.
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