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Title: Room

Writer: Emma Donoghue

Publisher:Little, Brown and Company (2010)

Pages: 496 p

Bought at:Perpiplus Plaza Indonesia (IDR 85,000; disc 10%)

For Jack, Room is his home. The 12×12 foot square space is the only place he knows since he was born, and his Ma is the only person he meets, apart from his friends from TV, like Dora and Spongebob. At night, Jack always stays in Wardrobe first because Ma doesn’t want him to meet Old Nick if he comes to visit.

Now Jack is five years old, and Ma says Room is too small for them. They need to escape from the place, find a way so that they could trick Old Nick. But is Jack ready for their Great Escape? And most importantly, is Jack ready to face the Outside?

Room is one of those books that can leave us speechless after we finish it. Jack’s point of view seemed really innocent, the opposite of the book’s theme which is quite scary. How does it feel to be trapped for years in a small room without being able to connect to the outside world? And to meet the crazy monster who abducted you every single day? And how could you explain the situation to your little kid? Ma’s character is so amazing. Donoghue could portray her as a loving and protected mother, as well as a very vulnerable human being.

Apart from the easy language and flowing innocent conversations between Jack and Ma, Room is a very intense book. It feels so real, so tough and so horrific, all at the same time. No wonder Amazon put it as one of the best books in 2010.