By Jessica Esquibel
Editor-In-Chief
Room is a chilling, yet heart warming story that tells the story of a son, Jack, and his mother who are trapped in confinement by a kidnapper. What makes this story most unique is that it’s told from Jack’s point of view, who is only five years old. All he knows is Room, nothing else.
The book starts on his fifth birthday. We begin to learn about the environment he’s in. What he was raised into. A skylight that’s unbreakable, a small kitchen, bathroom, and space to hardly pace. Reading it made me feel claustrophobic. The pure innocence of Jack is probably what makes the book hard, yet intriguing to read.
Here we have this kid who is told that everything on TV is just pretend, or non-existent. Then there’s the mom who has no choice but to raise her son in such an environment. She was kidnapped in her young 20’s, so she’s obviously straining to leave. All that she knew of the world was calling out to her, but to Jack, Room was his whole world. The only connection he has to the outside world is TV. Even then, it’s all still a lie. That is until his mother has had enough.
Sundays are the most exciting for Jack. That’s when they get their Sunday treat. ‘Old Nick,’ their kidnapper, brings them whatever they need to take them through the next week. The mom takes full advantage of that. She comes up with a plan to escape. The only thing with her plan is that Jack is supposedly dead. The story doesn’t end like I expected it to be.
I thought it was one of those cliche endings. They get saved and get to go home. Total opposite. Even after their big escape, they still struggle with the outside world. Which I sort of liked, somewhat didn’t. It’s just not anything I’m used to. Usually, I’m left hanging, left wondering how life was after they escaped Room. I did enjoy their perspective outside though.
In order to get the full concept of the story, you must read through the lines. Just like Jack, we’re kept from the truth until it eventually comes out. Remember, he’s only five, so there’s a lot of things he doesn’t catch up on. The more detailed he is, the more the picture becomes clear in your head. This isn’t a book you can just skim either, you have to go back and read. It’s worth it too as it is an enjoyable book. I believe anyone can get into it. Plus, there’s a movie now that you can compare it to. It was up for a lot of Oscar nominees.
