Room by Emma Donoghue

Room was long listed for the Booker Prize so it was always going to be interesting. It’s the story of a young woman who has been kidnapped and incarcerated in a room and the child that she has during the seven years of her imprisonment. The writer admits that the idea was triggered by the Austrian case of a few years ago where a father kept his daughter locked in a room and fathered seven children with her, three of whom were also imprisoned. But she says this is where it ended and I can see that: it’s the story of the relationship between the child, Jack, and his mother and of how they cope when they are finally launched into the world. It isn’t voyeuristic in the least and the voice is that of the child. I really liked the way the characters developed, the real irritation the mother has from time to time, the child’s insightful analysis of things juxtaposed with his five year old innocence. It’s a compelling book and I did find myself skimming through the first bit to get the action.