Growing up, children are taught to say please and thank you. They’re told to be mindful of others’ space and privacy and to always be kind. Once children are of age, they attend school five days a week and learn literacy and cognitive skills. In the absence of proper education, whether at home or away, a child’s growth can be hindered. Room, a novel written by Emma Donoghue, is about a five-year-old boy named Jack who was sheltered all his life. As a result, he doesn’t even know about the real world.
Since his birth, Jack had lived in an eleven-by-eleven-foot room with his mother, never once stepping outside. He was raised to believe that the only people in existence were him, his mom, and Old Nick, a middle-aged man who provided for the pair. To Jack, Room is the world. To his mother, Room is where she was brought at the age of nineteen; she has lived there as Old Nick’s captive for seven years. Every night, Jack is closed up securely in the wardrobe to sleep, while Old Nick stops by. However, as Jack grows older, he becomes more inquisitive, and his mother can no longer withhold the truth: Jack and his mom are living in a modern-day dungeon.
Room remarkably displays the real-world issue of human trafficking and the long-term repercussions, such as PTSD, that can happen as a result. In the story, Jack’s mother was held hostage two years prior to having her son. She attempted several escapes to catch the eye of a neighbor throughout her captivity. She settled in order to keep Jack safe, but knew that eventually the walls of the building wouldn’t be enough to hold them both. Exposure to the real world would also be crucial for Jack’s development.
Told from a young child’s point of view, Room shows the effect that extreme sheltering can have on an impressionable mind. Jack is unaware of social cues or manners as a result of being around only his mother for his entire life. Although he speaks like the average five-year-old, Jack’s understanding of concepts like spelling and math is commendable.
Room is an exceptional read, and is truly a suspenseful book at times. One of the few drawbacks was how slow the story was on occasion, as the plot progressed slowly. Although that can be viewed as a good aspect, the reader might scan over paragraphs to get to the next part. Donoghue uses intriguing tactics to lead up to Jack learning more about the real world. Overall, Room is a wonderful novel that tells of present-day problems from a reclusive five-year-old’s perspective. The story leaves the reader wondering whether the pair will escape confinement, or if they will spend the rest of their lives in the grasp of their captor.
