Room: A Novel

Held captive for years in a small shed, a woman and her precocious young son finally gain their freedom, and the boy experiences the outside world for the first time. Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating -- a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.

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Published May 18, 2011

352 pages

Average rating: 7.99

370 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

KikiStoneCreek
Jun 03, 2023
8/10 stars
Extremely different novel--couldn't put it down. Really made you think. I would highly recommend this book.
CheriF
Sep 25, 2025
8/10 stars
It took me a short while to get used to Jack's narrative style but once I was, I loved the story.

I thought the best part of the book was while Jack and Ma were still in Room but I think that may be because Jack felt secure there. I think his insecurity and confusion made his telling the tale more difficult.

The way the author used Jack's voice to describe what the world appeared to be to him, an outsider, was fantastic. A great way to use the Sociological Eye, I thought.

I was reduced to tears several times - either for happy or sad or just by the powerful emotions the words pulled from me. I think part of it was that I'm a very emotional person but part of it was that I kept imagining my young son in Jack's place.

Room was a great, and at times difficult, read. I highly recommend it.
Cobbie
Apr 19, 2025
6/10 stars
The writing style was hard to read at first. But after awhile i couldn't put it down. I would like to rank it somewhere between liked it and really liked it.
Heidi Reed
Apr 01, 2025
8/10 stars
What an interesting take on this idea. I found Jack's combination of vocabulary and naivete very interesting.
DaileyBean
Aug 14, 2024
8/10 stars
Great insight as to how a 5 year old who had not been exposed to the greater world might think and react to it.

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