Latest Read: Room

Here are the basics ...
Book: Room
Author: Emma Donoghue
Website: http://www.emmadonoghue.com/
Category: Fiction 

My thoughts ...

One sentence summary: Five-year-old Jack and his Ma live in one room - an 11x11 space where they are held prisoner by a man they refer to as Old Nick. 

The good:  The perspective of the entire book, which you as the reader know is a tragedy, is told in Jack's voice.  And he doesn't know his life is a tragedy.  For him, their room is a safe haven and all he's ever known.  It's a really interesting and eventually moving way to tell this story (once you get used to his narrating style).  

The bad: Jack as the narrator is what makes the book stand out.  But at the same time, it's what made the book really difficult for me to get into.  I had trouble getting through the first 40 pages or so (hence the lack of reviews lately) because I had to get used to his voice. You have to make sense of his thought process and how he views the world.  I also felt the detail of his daily life went on a little too long in the beginning. Looking back, it was probably necessary to describe.  But at the time, I kept waiting for things to pick up (which they did).  

Do I recommend?: If you're looking to read something out of your comfort zone; one that will really make you think - then yes, I do recommend it. 

Happy reading!