The World As He Knows It.

Life anew, steps taken with caution, first words spoken with innocent unknown fear. A mother gasping for air in a room concealed from life. Room by Emma Donoghue begins with the fifth birthday of Jack. Jack lives in a room (shed) with a bathtub,  a wardrobe, a kitchen, a bed, and a TV set. In this room Jack creates a world amongst the objects he sees everyday; having never stepped out of room Jack believes room is all the world is, that even people on TV aren't real. Jack is happy with the painful ignorance of sheltered love. Ma, Jack's mother, cares for Jack during the day but when night comes Jack sleeps in "wardrobe"  because Old Nick visits. When things begin to get out of hand Ma turns to Jack as their only escape, admitting that she had been abducted at the age of nineteen and has been in Old Nick's room since. With creeping fear Ma creates a plan involving the fake death of Jack, leaving Old Nick with no other choice but to dump the body in a remote place. In the "real world" Jack must find authorities, get Ma out, and avoid Old Nick finding out the truth.

This novel keeps me on the edge of my seat with anticipation and fear for Jack and Ma.