Saturday, June 26, 2010

2010 book 166

Emma Donoghue's Room
Narrated by a five year old boy who's never left the room he was born in--because his mother was kidnapped and is being held captive by a seriously creepy dude--the plot of this novel may feel a little bit ripped from the headlines, but that doesn't make it any less powerful, terrifying, or compelling. Now that Jack is five, his mother has a harder time explaining their lives, and eventually Jack learns about the outside world, leading the two to hatch a desperate escape plan.

I was sitting and reading this book while waiting for Arianne to meet me for Toni Morrison (who was completely amazing to hear, by the way) when a girl sitting in my vicinity said "I hate to interrupt you, but you look so engrossed in that book--what is it?" She was just one of the many people I talked to about it today. It's hard to explain in a way that doesn't make it sound dark or grim (though, at times, it is both of those things), but somehow Jack's narrative voice as he struggles to comprehend his world makes it a quick read. It comes out in September, so look for it, etc. A.

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