Emma Donoghue's "Room" is a surprising and insightful glimpse into a world few of us would ever wish to inhabit. Five-year-old Jack sees Room as the entire world, but the eleven-by-eleven foot space is a prison to Ma, the woman who has been held captive there for seven years. Abducted when she was nineteen, Ma's main goals revolve around bringing safety and security to the son she had by her captor, the sinister Old Nick. She also knows the two of them can't survive much longer in this environment, and so she plans her escape with her beloved son. As told through young Jack's eyes, the focus is on the daily wonder of simple existence in spite of the horrors and hardships of their situation. Donoghue tells this story in a language that's remarkably fresh and eye-opening. Room was recently turned into a critically-acclaimed film, but you need to read this book before hitting the theater.
A five-year-old narrates a story about his life growing up in a single room where his mother aims to protect him from the man who has held her prisoner for seven years since she was a teenager.