Room

I took over the book club at work rather reluctantly. Since finishing college, I really have a hard time when people tell me what to read and when to read it. Hey, I think, I studied literature for four years, please give me a break. I'll get to it when I get to it. (That's not to say I didn't love my literature classes because I did.) So when I was approached about leading book discussions at work, I almost said no. So that would mean I have to read all the book club books whether they interest me or not, right? Hmmm... I'm not so sure about this.

But I've been in charge of book club for several months now, and I'm glad, in the end, that I said yes. Because I've had the chance to read some wonderful books that I never would have chosen for myself. And one of those books was Room, by Emma Donoghue. The book is narrated by a five year old boy who lives in a small room with his mother. You find out the mother was taken against her will and trapped in this shed in her capture's backyard. And even though her son, Jack, was the product of continuous rape, she loves Jack and does everything she can to protect him from her kidnapper.

She also creates this routine to keep the two of them from going crazy. She teaches him as much as she can with the little resources she's been given, and she comes up with the most creative games to play and projects to work on during the day. I think that's what stuck out to me the most. She realized early on in her captivity that she would lose her mind, if she didn't break up her day with a schedule of sorts.

I don't want to say anymore about the plot because the twist is so surprising! But this was a wonderful book, and great for a discussion group. If you have a book club of your own, I would highly recommend reading it. There are a lot of great talking points. It's just a great read all around, so next time you're at your library, ask your librarian about it!