It’s still Hallo-week, Bookworms. Today we continue down the tunnel of terror as we explore books that completely freaked me out. Next on the list of nightmares is Room by Emma Donoghue.
Room is told from the perspective of a 5-year-old boy named Jack. Jack doesn’t understand the world around him, but through his description of his surroundings, the reader pieces together the situation… Jack’s mother was kidnapped at the age of 19 and has been held captive in a sound proof garden shed for years. During that time she’s been subjected to systematic rape by her captor which results in pregnancies. The first pregnancy ends with a stillbirth, but the second produces Jack.
Don’t let the colorful cover fool you, this is NOT for the faint of heart.
Jack’s story begins as he describes his day inside the room. They have a bathroom, a kitchenette, a bed, and a television. Because Jack has never been outside, he believes everything he sees on television is make-believe. He is has few toys and books, but his “Ma” makes do with what she has. She puts forth an absolutely valiant effort to give Jack some semblance of childhood, despite her circumstances, and the circumstances surrounding his conception. The midday routine of “screaming” gives some clue to the terror “Ma” lives in. Even though the shed is soundproof, once a day she and Jack make as much noise as possible yelling for help, hoping against hope that someone will find them. Reading this book make me claustrophobic… I felt shut in, trapped, and terrified.
Midway through the book when Ma arranges a jail break by faking Jack’s death. Once they’re out of the room, Jack’s adjustment to the outside world is heart wrenching. Ma’s reaction is… What you’d expect of a young woman confined to prison by a rapist for years… It’s a study in psychology and post traumatic stress disorder. How much can a human be expected to take without spontaneously combusting?
This book is amazing, but it is absolutely heartbreaking. What truly makes it terrifying is that this sort of thing actually happens. Jaycee Dugard was discovered alive around the time I read this novel, and it hit awfully close to home. I’ve not been able to bring myself to read Dugard’s memoir, but I can’t imagine the horror. Or Elizabeth Smart’s ordeal. How do you recover from a long captivity and go on to lead a semi normal and productive life?!
You know how your mom watches 20/20 and thinks you’re doing every drug known to man? No? That was just my mom? Well. My mom was convinced I was doing everything from huffing spray paint to tripping on acid during my teen years (none of which I was doing, BTW, MOM!) My mom also lectured me never to walk alone at night, a rule I broke regularly in college. The girl in Room did nothing more than leave the college library after dark and was kidnapped by a madman. In some ways, this book is even more frightening than a dystopia. No need for nuclear war or religious cult takeover. This could happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time… Be careful out there, and learn some kung fu ninja moves or carry pepper spray… Just in case.
Are you paranoid now? I am! Have any of you bookworms ever become so involved in a book that it affected your everyday life?
didibooksenglish
This isn’t one I was raring to read either. I’m claustrophobic for god’s sake! If it’s written too well, I’ll actually start to feel that small space. Depressing!!! Inspite of it all I know one day I’ll read it. Another read I haven’t been able to pick up is The Lovely Bones. I can’t do it!
Words for Worms
The Lovely Bones is actually more uplifting than you’d expect. I rather liked Sebold’s take on the afterlife.
didibooksenglish
Like I said. Another one that I’ll eventually have to pick up.
Mel
Wrote a couple different paragraphs about this book and kept going back to the main thought.
Freaked me out
Words for Worms
LOL- my sentiments exactly!
Sami
I read The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker when I was in college and it scared the shit out of me. It’s not fiction but rather a book designed to get you to start paying attention to your “instincts” when you are in situations that may be giving off that “something’s not quite right here” feeling. My “instincts” were going off for months!! It reeally makes you think about paying attention to your surroundings, people you interact with and really listening to yourseld when you feel something is off!
Words for Worms
I’m pretty sure I should never read that book. I’m already paranoid. I can’t even go upstairs by myself after a particularly zombie filled episode of The Walking Dead… And zombies aren’t real. Yet.
Sami
I recommend reading it during daylight hours and then make sure that you watch a disney movie before you go to bed. It really does have some good practical tips for making sure you don’t end up like Jaycee Dugard. I don’t watch scary movies but someone made me go see the movie Seven and I agreed because it had Brad Pitt…I ended up watching The Little Mermaid before I could go to bed that night!
Words for Worms
Oh! Seven was awful! Nobody needs to see Gwyneth Paltrow’s severed head, no matter how much you hate GOOP.
Barbara
Emma was in my class in secondary school. Her other books such as Slammerkin are completely different than this one as they are historical novels based on the lives of real people. She writes those types of books extremely well, so I was very interested to see what Room was like.
Inspired by the Fritzl Case (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl_case) the book is written from the perspective of a 6 year old boy. Emma spent ages studying the language of her own son who was six at the time she was writing the book in order to be able to write the book in his language.
It is really hard to read a book by an author you know personally with an open mind, but within a few lines I had forgotten that the book was written by Emma & I was completely drawn into the world of Jack. I think her understanding and portrayal of the effect of ‘the world outside room’ on Jack following their escape is excellent, and the difference between his response to freedom & his mothers is exactly as it would happen.
It is a harrowing book to read, but still worth a go, unless you have small children. The same advice I would give to young parents about ‘We need to talk about Kevin’
Words for Worms
You know Emma Donoghue?! How cool is that?! I’ve been waiting for someone I went to school with to get famous. No luck yet. I didn’t realize she wrote historical novels based on real people- I LOVE historical fiction. I’m going to have to check out more of her work now. I think We Need To Talk About Kevin would scare me out of having children entirely, so I think it’s better I avoid that for now LOL.
Barbara
We need to talk about Kevin is definitely really scary & definitely not one to read until your children have finished secondary school!!
I think Emma’s best book is Slammerkin & her newer book, The Sealed Letter is also really good. Her first ‘Hood’ is semi autobiographical which is a bit strange as its loosely based on our school. She was always destined for great things… If we had had a yearbook she would definitely have been voted the most likely to achieve whatever she decided she wanted to do 🙂
Liesel Hill
I haven’t read this one, though I’ve heard of it. I’m sure i’ll read it eventually, but i’ll have to prepare myself first. Thanks for the review!
Words for Worms
Thanks Liesel! I think it’s important to emotionally prepare for this sort of reading! 🙂
Rhian
I thought Room was an amazing book and gave real insight into the psychology of the imprisoned. I particularly liked that it wasn’t all happily ever after when they escaped. By that I mean it showed being free was not the end but the beginning.
One of the other things that I found kind of sickening/horrifying was the reference to groups of sickos giving each other tips on how to build their own prisons. Because does anyone think such groups don’t exist?
Words for Worms
I completely agree! I liked the ending a lot, because Ma and Jack still had a lot of work to do therapy-wise to deal with what they’d been through. I don’t think anyone could escape that without psychological damage, and I love that Donoghue portrayed that accurately. I must have mentally blocked out the sicko reference group because I don’t recall that part… But of course they exist. The internet is a blessing and a curse that way. Heebie Jeebies all over again! Thanks Rhian!
Leah
Room was so chilling! I also read it around the time Jaycee Dugard was found, and the combination was so scary. It’s really frightening to think about how these girls were abducted; they weren’t behaving in a way our mothers told us not to — Ma was just leaving her college library, and Jaycee was walking to her school bus stop. How terrifying is it that a girl can just be plucked from her life like that? I’m getting the heebie-geebies thinking about it.
Words for Worms
Seriously, every time I get a comment on this post I get the goosebumps all over again. *Shudder*
susanpen
So far you are 2 for 2 on scary books. I started The Road and couldn’t finish it. It was too depressing for me.
And The Room. I had to read it for a book club. I was completely traumatized. If I hadn’t been forced to read it I probably would have put it down somewhere in the middle.
Do you sense a trend here? I seem to like happy books with little or nothing to do with everyday life.
Words for Worms
Oh yeah, sometimes you need some happy! I would not recommend reading either of these in the dead of winter. Wait for sunny weather so you can forget about the sadness!
thatashgirl
My Book Club actually just finished this. Horrifying to be sure. I can totally relate the the claustrophobia although at first, the language used coming from Jack narrating was a little painful to trudge through. It’s one of those books that I love and hate at the exact same time.
Btw….my mom used to do the same thing. Hear about something on the news and attack me with it.
Words for Worms
Seriously, when I went away to college I got SO MANY lectures on being roofied I told my mom she wasn’t allowed to watch 20/20 anymore.
thatashgirl
I got all the talks about walking to my car after dark alone.
Words for Worms
I probably should have taken the free self defense classes my school offered, but I didn’t. Maybe I would have gotten fewer worried mom calls if I had…
Lyssapants
I read Jaycee’s book before I read this one, and man they were both scary as hell. I loved getting to wrap my brain around Jack’s experience. I was also very pissed about the decisions the grownups made in caring for Jack on the outside……a shopping mall?? What the hell were they thinking?!
Words for Worms
Oh I know! That shopping mall scene about broke my heart!
Natalie
Oh my gosh. I’m feeling claustrophobic just having read your post about this book! I’m sure it’s a good read, but I’m questioning whether or not I should attempt it..
Words for Worms
It’s really good, but I would NOT hold it against you if you didn’t feel up to it.
Karen McKown
It has been awhile since I read this book, but I remember being sad for the boy but not feeling claustrophobic or scared. That it is written from his pov made it “easier” for me. He doesn’t know what is outside so he describes his world and Ma has made his world pleasant for him, which is what was so sad for me. I found having only his pov both annoying and interesting. It was an easy read and I read it in a day, and thought about it long after.
Words for Worms
Oh I completely agree- Jack’s point of view just broke my heart! The fact that he missed the things from Room… It was a nightmare to his mom, but to him it was just home. It’s one of those books that won’t just leave you alone, you know?
Miss Brill
I really enjoyed Room! I thought it was very cleverly done, although I preferred the first half to the second half. Another book about being kept in captivity that has really stayed with me over the years (and that I’d like to reread) is The Collector by John Fowles. It’s just SO chilling.
Words for Worms
One day when I’m feeling brave I’ll have to check out The Collector! Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂