January 18, 2013 / Leslie

Review – Audiobook: Room by Emma Donoghue

Room
by Emma Donoghue
Narrated by Michal Friedman, Ellen Archer, Suzanne Toren, Robert Petkoff

Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publish Date: September 13, 2010
Format: Audio, 10 hours | 52 minutes
Audio Listening Level: Easy
Rating: 4 of 5

Publisher’s Synopsis:

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it’s not enough…not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son’s bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

My Thoughts:

I have read a lot of positive reviews about Room but still I hesitated to read or listen to it. The premise sounded like such a downer, so depressing. How could this possibly leave me feeling anything but awful. And so, although the book was getting a lot of attention, I chose to take a pass. Until now.

My book club chose Room as their January book for discussion. As usual, my print reading schedule was already a little tight so I decided, reluctantly, to go with the audio. I knew the story was told from a child’s perspective and mostly in a child’s voice. I wasn’t too sure I could listen to 10 hours of that. But, I was wrong. Not only was the book a good story, the audio production was exemplary.

The book was so well written and the story so compelling that I was able to engage with the characters of mom and Jack and not obsess over the more unsettling aspects of the plot. The decision to write this story from a child’s point of view was what made it work for me. In a few instances, like the very intuitive police officer that was able to provide assistance, the plot came together a little too easily, but not enough to spoil the story. I can accept a few happy coincidences. I was expecting more bad things at that point so it was a relief when things worked out well.

The audio production was superb. I wasn’t expecting to like it knowing that a small child was the narrator, but instead I loved it. An ensemble cast performed the adult characters and the voice of 5-year-old Jack was portrayed with just the right amount of emotion and wonder to make him believable.

A compelling, thought-provoking story that I’m glad I finally got around to reading.

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Source: Borrowed from the library.
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