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katsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.”
“Stories are a different kind of true.”
“I've seen the world and I'm tired now.”
I think it will come as no surprise that the most interesting part of this book is the point-of-view. I find it very compelling when authors use the perspectives of "innocents" like children to tell stories. It takes away some of the bias and assumptions that we have as the reader. And this novel goes even further by making the narrator incredibly young. Jack, the narrator, is just 5 years old and he's never known anything other than Room. Getting to experience the world for the first time through his eyes was so interesting and provocative . My only major negative is also about the narrator, though. I've seen other people who've reviewed this book say that they found him annoying but for me, I just doubted that a 5 year old would be as articulate as he was sometimes portrayed. Granted, very few people can confirm or deny if it's actually possible but there were just instances when I felt like Jack was more articulate than any 5 year old would be even given the heinous and unique situation he was in.
Given all that, this book was incredibly well written. The audiobook was incredibly well done. I really liked how the author didn't turn this into a run-of-the-mill true crime novel. The focus was 100% on Ma and Jack and how their characters grow and develop through the trauma of their ordeal. Old Nick, the perpetrator, is a part of the story, obviously, but he spends very little time on page. His backstory is never explained or rationalized and I love that. I am now very interested in seeing the film adaptation!
“Stories are a different kind of true.”
“I've seen the world and I'm tired now.”
I think it will come as no surprise that the most interesting part of this book is the point-of-view. I find it very compelling when authors use the perspectives of "innocents" like children to tell stories. It takes away some of the bias and assumptions that we have as the reader. And this novel goes even further by making the narrator incredibly young. Jack, the narrator, is just 5 years old and he's never known anything other than Room. Getting to experience the world for the first time through his eyes was so interesting and provocative . My only major negative is also about the narrator, though. I've seen other people who've reviewed this book say that they found him annoying but for me, I just doubted that a 5 year old would be as articulate as he was sometimes portrayed. Granted, very few people can confirm or deny if it's actually possible but there were just instances when I felt like Jack was more articulate than any 5 year old would be even given the heinous and unique situation he was in.
Given all that, this book was incredibly well written. The audiobook was incredibly well done. I really liked how the author didn't turn this into a run-of-the-mill true crime novel. The focus was 100% on Ma and Jack and how their characters grow and develop through the trauma of their ordeal. Old Nick, the perpetrator, is a part of the story, obviously, but he spends very little time on page. His backstory is never explained or rationalized and I love that. I am now very interested in seeing the film adaptation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Miscarriage, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Self harm, Excrement, and Abortion
whilhelminaharker's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Are stories true?
They're magic, they're not about real people walking around today.
So they're fake?
No, no. Stories are a different kind of true.
They're magic, they're not about real people walking around today.
So they're fake?
No, no. Stories are a different kind of true.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Trafficking
simple_alien's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A fascinating character study. A heart-wrenching premise. Avoids sensationalizing, which is important. It actually offers a critique in certain points of media sensationalism of these sorts of tragedies.
I really liked that the story is from the perspective of the 5 year old boy Jack. I think it is an interesting lens to view such a story. The focus on Jack's limited but expanding view of the world is really cool, how his Ma teaches him a child-friendly version of the world to protect him, and how this starts getting challenged. It is very thought provoking to put yourself in his shoes as the story progresses and he experiences new and terrifying things about the world.
It reminds me of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: "A group of humans live their whole lives in a cave, tied down to stare at a singular cave wall. Behind them, other people, puppeteers, use fire to project shadows on the wall. To the prisoners, these shadows are reality."
As is Jack's reality of himself, his Ma, Room, Space, and the things he sees on TV.
With all this in mind, there are times where the narration gets difficult to read. While Jack has a large vocabulary for a 5 year old, he still uses made up words, and the narration has purposefully child-like grammar. As a reader, you will either appreciate this as a novelty or it will frustrate you to no end. I personally thought it was great.
I watched the movie before I read the book. They are very similar. The book offers a little more in terms of expanding the details of their every day lives, but not too too much. The most interesting thing the book offers that the movie doesn't, is a more direct line into Jack's thoughts, as he offers a really interesting frame for the story. But again, you will either love that or hate it.
Not a perfect book - at certain points it gets a little slow. But there are some parts that will really stick with me, and were quite gripping and emotional.
I really liked that the story is from the perspective of the 5 year old boy Jack. I think it is an interesting lens to view such a story. The focus on Jack's limited but expanding view of the world is really cool, how his Ma teaches him a child-friendly version of the world to protect him, and how this starts getting challenged. It is very thought provoking to put yourself in his shoes as the story progresses and he experiences new and terrifying things about the world.
It reminds me of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: "A group of humans live their whole lives in a cave, tied down to stare at a singular cave wall. Behind them, other people, puppeteers, use fire to project shadows on the wall. To the prisoners, these shadows are reality."
As is Jack's reality of himself, his Ma, Room, Space, and the things he sees on TV.
With all this in mind, there are times where the narration gets difficult to read. While Jack has a large vocabulary for a 5 year old, he still uses made up words, and the narration has purposefully child-like grammar. As a reader, you will either appreciate this as a novelty or it will frustrate you to no end. I personally thought it was great.
I watched the movie before I read the book. They are very similar. The book offers a little more in terms of expanding the details of their every day lives, but not too too much. The most interesting thing the book offers that the movie doesn't, is a more direct line into Jack's thoughts, as he offers a really interesting frame for the story. But again, you will either love that or hate it.
Not a perfect book - at certain points it gets a little slow. But there are some parts that will really stick with me, and were quite gripping and emotional.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Slavery, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
scatteredyarns's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Miscarriage and Trafficking
meggiemay99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt