We identify with Jack as we would any other child: in fact, at times, it’s almost easy to forget the peculiar nature of his existence.
Just like that, we’re launched into the perspective of Jack, who combines observations of the tangible world before him with snippets of imaginative discourse. I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I’m changed to five, abracadabra.’ (Donoghue, 2010: p. I received my answer on the very first page with the introduction of her brilliantly charismatic narrator: How could Donoghue possibly deal with material so rooted in reality in a way that wouldn’t come across as exploitative, insensitive or just flat out depressing? He became the face synonymous with pure evil, much the same as Myra Hindley of the Saddleworth Murders.
I additionally remember the head-shot of Fritzl, staring remorselessly into the lens, being plastered across numerous newspapers. I remember hearing of how Elisabeth Fritzl was subjected to years of abuse and forced to mother seven of her father’s children within the concrete slabs of the crawl space beneath her old home. It must be noted, I was initially weary to begin the novel, all too aware of the many parallels critics and readers have drawn between the novel’s plot and the infamous case of Josef Fritzl (which caught the attention of global news just two years prior to publication).
When the opportunity to escape presents itself, the pair find themselves facing the world outside in all of its grandeur, and must find ways to adapt to their newfound freedoms. The only source of contact with the outside world is a skylight aptly named ‘Skylight’ and a locked door, opened routinely by antagonist Old Nick, who enters by night to drop off scarce supplies and rape Ma. He knows nothing of life beyond those 4 walls. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and adapted soon thereafter for an Academy-Award winning screen adaptation, Donoghue thrusts us into the mini-world created by Ma and Jack, a mother and son living in the small parameters of a shed. However, Room (2010), her seventh feature-novel, differs substantially in style and draws inspiration from more recent headlines. *Note: I initially submitted this essay for a formative assignment during my undergraduate degree* Room – A Story Of HopeĪ book that can be read within one sitting is an elusive find and that, I would argue, is what makes Room so special.Įmma Donoghue is no stranger to critical acclaim, having garnered much appraisal for her previous titles such as The Sealed Letter (2008) and Slammerkin (2000), she is renowned for her works in the historical fiction genre.
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