ROOM

A friend of mine from work and I were discussing good books and she mentioned that she had just finished a "GREAT BOOK!" and I asked her what it was. She said, "ROOM", and I perked up a bit because I had purchased said book the same time I has bought Little Bee. Needless to say, I opened that novel the same day I finished Chris Cleaves' haunting work.

Emma Donoghue's novel Room is captivating, although I wasn't utterly wowed by it. On a scale of 1-5 (1=poor, 5=excellent), I would rate it a 4+. I found it a bit predictable and a little bit annoying in the composition of the dialogue, although I understand Donoghue's thoughts on why she wrote the way she wrote; it makes sense, but still....

Without giving too much away, like Ma and Jack, I was a bit creeped out by Old Nick myself, and found myself wanting "Plan B" to work as badly as they wanted it to.

The New York Times Book Review heralds it as the BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR and Aimee Bender, New York Times Book Review says "Donoghue brings her story to a powerful clost that feels exactly right. This is a truly memorable novel. ...It presents an utterly unique way to talk about love."

The New Yorker says Room is "An astounding, terrifying novel.... It's a testment to Donoghue's imagination and empathy that she is able to fashion radiance from such horror."

Overall, it is a good book and I would certainly recommend it as a summer read, although I would recommend a parent reading it before handing it over to a middle school-aged student and below. It is easy to follow once you figure who the main character is and why the dialogue is not so polished.

Next up: The Forest of Hands and Teeth