Room

I've come to believe that there is a special category that includes books whose plot is well-known, whose end may be known too or clear enough for everyone to understand. And yet, they manage not only to attract your interest, but to make you really anxious, because you just want to go on reading and real life gets in the way. For some, these books may be predictable, devoid of any interest. For me, they provide meaning to the adage ‘‘It's not about the destination, but about the journey''. Room by Emma Donoghue is one of these books.

The plot is well-known to everyone, so there's no point to bore you with that. Donoghue is one of the those writers that I follow religiously, she can hardly do a story wrong as far as I am concerned. I haven't watched the film version of the novel, nor I intend to. There have been very few movies that were equally interesting to the original material and they were all made long before I was born, so there's no point wasting time on that.

This is a book that I couldn't wait to pick up every day and continue reading. And I had been spoiled as to the plot and the ending. It didn't matter. In my opinion, this is one of the most significant achievements of a gifted writer. To make you care and feel, even though there's nothing to wait for. It happened with Hannah Kent's Burial Rites and it is repeated with Room. In the end, it all comes down to the writing and the characters.

One could say that not much happen throughout the book and they would be right. However, that is exactly the biggest impact of the novel. What is important is the way every single development is described and communicated and this is done in a shuttering manner. There is an intense feeling of claustrophobia in the 2/3 of the novel, I guarantee you that you will feel your heart pounding, even though you may suspect what's coming next.

What makes Room so unique is the way Donoghue chooses to speak to the reader. Our eyes in this story are Jack's, a five year old boy. Here we have a brilliant rendition of the boy's language inside his head. Is it absolutely realistic? No, of course not, but it would be less realistic for a reader to expect a completely truthful re-enactment of the way little children talk. Every question, fear and hope of Jack is easily met on childen all over the world. Every laughter, cry and hope of his mother is shared by mothers all over the world. What could be more realistic than that?

Jack is one of the most unique narrators and his mother is the seams that hold the story tightly bound. Her character is possibly one of the best descriptions of motherhood in literature. There are not many secondary characters, but the ones that move in the periphery of the narration are incredubly well-written and fleshed out.

What made me all the more satisfied with Room was Donoghue's decision to describe the events that followed their escape. She shows that their life couldn't become normal just like that, she paints a rather difficult, unsettling account of their struggle to come to terms with a life that, thankfully, most of us consider a given. She doesn't create a fairy-tale, she shows life as it is. If sensitive subjects are not your ideal reading, don't try this. It has quite a few themes that will make you incomfortable.

Each book by Donoghue offers something different. She never repeats herself,it is as if she becomes a different writer every time, and I don't see this often in recent Literature. Arguably, for me, she belongs to the top-ten team of the best writers of our millenium.

Room is a fine example of the way a novel can move you and make you nervous, frightened, frustrated and hopeful- all at the same time, mind you- without forcing your feelings with clichés and hysterics. Yes, The Light Between Oceans, I am still not over what a great bluff you proved to be...