SuzanneRating:
Review
Jack, who’s just turning five, has spent his entire life in one room. The story of his and his Ma’s life in this extremely limited environment is told from his point of view. But while this one room is the whole world to him, it’s not to his Ma, who was abducted when she was only 19 years old and held prisoner here for seven years by “Old Nick”. Giving birth to Jack is what made his Ma’s life worth living, and she has impressively stretched her creativity in making the best life possible for him under the circumstances. Nevertheless, she never gives up on the idea of getting out one day. The consequences of spending such a long time in one isolated room, never going outside, are complicated and hard to imagine – their story turned out to be more thoughtful than I thought it might be.
Best Line:
“Don’t forget, you’d have changed anyway.” (page 314)
KimRating:
Review
I had quite a few people tell me about this book, and for good reason. It’s unique. This inventive story is narrated by 5 year old Jack, who has lived his entire life in a small shed with his mother. Jack’s Ma was kidnapped by Old Nick when she was 19 years old (she’s now 26) and besides being held captive, she’s had to endure years of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Her love and commitment to her son is unwavering though, and Ma does her best to teach Jack the things that are important in life, along with showing him how to be strong and brave even when he’s afraid of what his actions may bring. I liked this book, and couldn’t help comparing it to a recent real-life story to some degree, but it didn’t distract me much from reading this book straight through. Jack is an engaging little man, and his Ma is good people.
Best Line:
“I don’t like a clever toilet looking at our butts.”
