Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old Jack the room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up. It is where he learns about life and plays with his Ma. To Jack the Room is everything. But to Ma the room is a prison where she's been held captive for seven years.

This is a book that will stay with you. Donoghue makes the choice to have Jack tell his story himself. The story is dark and dangerous from an adult standpoint. Once we learn what is really going on with the story, it's our worst nightmare come to life. But when a child tells the story, particularly a child who has never known anything else, the story takes on a whole new dimension. It's brilliant. This take on the story is one that we, perhaps, never would have thought about. She doesn't just tell us about how hard this is for the child, we live it and experience it with him. Yes, it was hard to understand some of what the five-year-old narrator is talking about. But it's worth it for what you learn and feel from this perspective.

A wonderful, highly recommended book.