NOMINATING LIBRARY COMMENTS

1.Room takes the traumatic circumstances of a 5 year old boy and creates, through the imagination and perspective of a small boy, a story of uplifting power. The author takes the reader through themes of survival, resilience, innocence, the power of the media in the world, and a mother’s love. 2. Nominated by staff from our statewide network of libraries. Room was a Man Booker finalist in 2010. 3. In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack has lived his entire life in a single room with only his mother and an unnerving night time visitor, Old Nick. A stunning, original and disturbing novel of survival in captivity. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2010. 4. Part urban horror story, part psychological thriller, Room brilliantly illustrates the resilience and tenacity of the human spirit. 5. Outstanding literary merit. A top circulating title at Halifax Public Libraries. 6. Dazzling use of language reveals an incredible imagination. Critics use words such as compelling, riveting and extraordinary. A startling, disturbing premise is offset by a believable, endearing, memorable narrator. Ultimately uplifting. Nominated for at least 11 awards. Winner of Commonwealth Prize and 3 other awards. 7. Narrated by 5-year-old Jack, Room is the utterly tender story of Jack and his mother who, we come to understand, are being held captive in an 11 foot square converted garden shed. The wonder of this novel is that it rises above the horror of the abuse Jack and Ma suffer, to become a testament to human resourcefulness and resilience, and the triumph of love. 8. The most original book I have read in a long time. 9. Brilliant use of language with a terrific take, beautifully told. 10. Meet 5 -year-old Jack and his Ma, who live together in Room. You will get to discover the world through Jack’s eyes. A profoundly original and touching book about surviving, and how to raise a child when all hope seems gone. 11. This is a beautifully written novel which gives a unique insight into a captivity story. Jack, the main character is only 5 years old, and witnesses more than he understands. It stays with you long after you have finished it. 12. Great storytelling and presentation of an important issue. 13. This book is unusual, tense and suspenseful and very well written. It is told from the point of view of a 5 year-old boy and his child like, magical view of the world permeates the book. Although bleak, the beauty of the writing emphasises the strength of the human spirit. 14. Donoghue’s emotionally wrenching and beautifully written narrative depicts life in captivity for an abducted woman and her child. “Ma”, as she is known throughout the book, is a generous, intelligent and devoted mother who ingeniously devises ways to care for, educate, and protect the son she so fiercely loves. 15. In this riveting novel, an abducted mother, with almost no resources, nudges her son into understanding the bigger world. 16. Donoghue has crafted a memorable, heart-wrenching story that manages to convey the power of love and hope, even under the most horrific circumstances. Using varying perspectives, Donoghue demonstrates how two people, living the same limited existence, can see things in vastly different lights. 17. Terror, hope, patience and devotion are stunningly twisted in an unforgettable story of a kidnapped mother and her five year old son’s survival at the hands of her kidnapper and their imprisonment by him. 18. This is a unique novel, written from a five-year-old’s point of view, which causes the reader to remember that what is viewed as normal and acceptable comes from our knowledge of the world.