Topic > A review of The Book Room by Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue's fascinating novel "Room" is a captivating and creative story about sexual violence and motherhood. The book is built on a young 5-year-old boy named Jack, held captive in a small room with his mother. At the beginning of the book we notice that 'Room' is like a small prison cell. Jack tends to call his mother "Ma" in the book. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay It is certainly a category of book that I like and I believe that the main task of the book is to examine the experiences of what women can go through. When we enter the book, we are immediately given these restrictions, we only hear from Jack's point of view. What I really appreciated at the beginning was the instant drama we were hit with, in our sense of confusion as to why this mother and her son are trapped in this place. Donoghue carefully shows the actions a mother would do in that situation by creating a regimen for Jack, including exercises, drawing, bed, etc. Donoghue loosens these limitations with the exciting daily activities Jack undertakes. Donoghue adds insight into what a real parent would do outside of the room he is trapped in through his characters where Ma gives Jack rules such as you can watch TV, but not too much, because "it rots our brains". The highlight in much of the book was that Jack is the narrator of the story. I find it very interesting to listen to. Donoghue uses basic language to elicit the understanding that Jack is a learning child and we are in his world, learning with him. Jack, surprisingly, doesn't feel boxed in and has nowhere to go because "Room" is all he's ever known, the circumstances he lives in, are what was brought to him thinking that this is how things should be in the life. It's a different story with Ma, Ma was abducted (kidnapped) when she was a teenager by a man Ma named after called "Old Nick". She was locked up for a long period of time and was raped, which led to the birth of Jack. But Jack grew up unaware of the brutality he was exposed to. Mom was willing to sacrifice herself so that Jack wouldn't be a victim. This contrast builds the wide chasm and complications of Room. The room is both heaven and hell. Jack says the phrase "but it's also me and mom." Which expresses his complete attachment to his mother. In my opinion, I believe that in this part of the book, Donoghue exacerbates the cruelties of childhood as well as adulthood through the confrontation scenes with Ma and Jack. At the beginning of the novel, we see Ma breastfeeding her son, It's his birthday, she tries to convince him that he's old enough now, but he cherishes the loving affiliation with his mother's body as much as he enjoys routines and Room objects. There is a sense of instability for the reader here. The room is a sanctuary for Jack, but where does he draw the line?, the boundaries between mother and son? Why does she continue to breastfeed when he is 5? I think that's wrong in my opinion. Writing about someone else's suffering is rightly wrong in my opinion. I'm not saying you can't be creative or imaginative, I think the problem arises when the author doesn't know how to appropriate that person's suffering simply because they haven't experienced it in their life. So the author is adopting stereotypes in that situation and not actual facts (which may be unintentional). Particular articles focus primarily on the victim's captor and his or her horrific experiences. Instead, Donoghue expands our sympathy and knowledge for Ma and Jack by building characters.