Room by Emma Donague

"A truly disturbing novel that makes you appreciate your freedom but it also left a sick feeling in my stomach at the end."

2 Stars

Pros: The juxtaposition between how Jack sees Room and how Ma does is interesting in its simplicity and horror.

Cons: The premise is extremely disturbing, so much so that I almost stopped reading/A story told from the point of view of a 5 year old can get really annoying, really fast, language wise.

Full Review:

All Jack knows is Room. He knows Bed, Tub, Sink, Table, Chair and Wardrobe, where he sleeps. He knows all the words to all the books that he owns and he loves playing with his Ma. She is the only thing he knows and understands. She and Room make up his entire world.

But there's a much more sinister side to it all. Jack also knows that by 9 pm he has to be in Wardrobe or Old Nick will see him when the door goes "beep beep" and he comes into Room. Jack always stays in Wardrobe because that's what Ma tells him to do. He can hear Ma and Old Nick talking and then Jack counts how many times the bed squeaks and then everything goes quiet.

It quickly becomes obvious that something is incredibly wrong here. And realization of the horrible truth is not all that long in coming. Ma is a prisoner, kidnapped by Old Nick and is being kept in a shed in his backyard. Even though she and Jack play Scream every day, where they yell and shout as loud as they possibly can in hopes that someone will hear, no one ever does. Jack doesn't know what Scream is for, he just knows it's a fun game where he can be as loud as he wants. But to Ma, it's a desperate measure in a horrible situation.

The situation does end up changing, not too surprisingly, but that leads to a whole new slew of problems that Ma and Jack have to face. It's all extremely overwhelming for Jack, Ma and for the reader as well.

I think I had such a hard time with this book because it was just too horrifying and creepy a scenario to wrap my mind around. Being a prisoner to a man, but then having his baby and loving that baby...I understand it's not the child's fault, but it just...it was too difficult of a pill for me to swallow. And I may sound heartless in saying that but it's how I felt.

The premise was intriguing enough for me to keep reading but it was sickening all at once. This was a hard book to read simply because of the mere idea of something like this happening but the most horrible part of it all is that stuff like this DOES happen, and that's what makes the book so unsettling. I would be hard pressed to recommend this book to anyone as it was just far too disturbing and yes, it'll stay with me for a long, long time, but not in a good way.

Comments

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

"High Fantasy with lots of interwoven threads of fate getting all knotted up together, as they do. Though Shannon's ambition is incredible and inspiring, in the end it all felt a bit off pace and quickly fell into "information overload." Pros: High fantasy, true and brilliant world building. You have different kingdoms with their own customs and beliefs, Shannon has truly created something incredible. But this is both a Pro and a Con . Cons : Too many characters to remember/Too many countries/histories/legendary figures to keep track of. Full Review: It all starts when Tane breaks her seclusion, wishing to swim in the sea one more time before choosing day. In the morning she'll see if she's earned the revered title of Dragon Rider. But just tonight, she wants to swim and feel free. She's horrified when she runs into a man named Sulyard, who begs for her help. She helps him asking a childhood friend Susa to take him away and she does, allowing Tane t

A Spark of White Fire (The Celestial Trilogy #1) by Sangu Mandanna

"Similar to "Game of Thrones" only in space, there was a lot going on with a lot of different people and they were all important and connected but my tired, overworked brain had trouble keeping up. " 2 Stars Pros: I liked Max as a character, I'm all for the tall, dark, mysterious supposed bad boy with a heart of gold cliche, but the kissing cousins thing just made it weird. Cons: It felt like Game of Thrones, only in space, so there was a bit of a kissing cousins vibe going and I wasn't feeling it/The book tried to have these big, shocking moments I was just non-plussed, unaffected./The presence of the Gods irked me as they did in The Illiad, it's all terribly convenient to have divine intervention for your MCs. I feel like it's the cheapest fake-out cheat of all time 👍🤣 Full Review: My co-worker, who has recommended some amazing reads such as, A Man Called Ove , The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse, and I'll Give You The Sun, r

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

"The classic tale of Peter Pan, the boy who never grows up and his adventures with his Lost Boys and the Darling Children, Wendy, John and Michael. At times fun and whimsical and other times surprisingly dark, it was an interesting read as an adult." 3 Stars Pros: There is something appealing about flying away to a mysterious island where you can play all day and never have to grow up. The thrall of Neverland is a constant for this dreamer. Cons: Peter Pan is truly the most arrogant little brat and very much in need of a mother/I was surprised at the bloodshed because I always thought this was a children's book, it was rather dark at times. Full Review Mr. and Mrs. Darling are the proud yet rather dismissive and negligent parents of three children. Wendy, John and Michael. All three have flights of fancy and dream of an island, with mermaids and pirates. Mrs. Darling dismisses these as the whimsy of childhood but she herself remembers when she too dreamt of the very

All the Books.

Search This Blog