I am jumping on the bandwagon and singing the praises of Room by Emma Donoghue. The storyline itself sounds like something from a Lifetime Movie Of The Week, but what sets it apart and makes it unique is the author's choice to tell the story through the five-year-old boy's point of view. The reader sees things through his eyes and knows what's happening (like the tension between characters or the shrillness of what's not being said) but the boy is completely clueless. There's a naivety to the voice that makes many scenes quite disturbing. Had Donoghue told the same story from the mother's point of view, the book wouldn't have been nearly as effective.
-Robert Swartwood
--Robert Swartwood is the editor of Hint Fiction: An Anthology of Stories in 25 Words or Fewer. Visit him online at www.robertswartwood.com.
1 comment:
Room is an amazing novel. If the subject matter worries you - I would urge you to read it anyway because the reader is never treated to anything graphic. Donoghue handles this horrifying subject carefully yet realistically.
But it was Jack who pulled me into this story - his "voice" and outlook, much like any bright and precocious child's, is delightful, funny, and captivating.
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