I was at the pool not too long ago when a former student's mother told me about Room. She gave me no details about the book except that she found herself crying off an on as she was reading the book. I now know exactly what she was talking about.
This book is not for the faint of heart or for the casual reader who simply wants to be entertained. This book is serious...it it hard to read at times...but it touched every part of me as both a woman and as a mother. Every woman's greatest fears are hit head-on in this book, yet are done within the safe confines of pages of a book that can be closed when the story becomes too intense.
Honestly, aside from a personal recommendation, I knew nothing about this book before I loaded it onto my Nook. I never even read the back of the book. I think it was better that way. There were certain parts of the first section of the book that were bothersome: why was this mother treating her son as she did, why did they never leave Room, and why was this mother still nursing her 5 year old? As the story progressed and as part one became part two, it all became clear. Instead of viewing this mother as negligent, I now saw how strong she was and how incredibly brave both Ma and Jack were.
Sometimes we read to comfort ourselves, sometimes we read for pleasure, and sometimes we read for entertainment. I am not sure that reading Room would fall into any of these categories. At times it was like a train wreck--I knew I shouldn't look, but I couldn't pull myself away. But, I am glad that I read it. It made me think a lot about how strong I might/might not be in a similar situation. It also reminded me of the lengths a mother would go to to protect her child and of how scary and confusing "outside" often is. Even when you've lived there your entire life.
Be brave, be strong. Read Room.
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