Let me warn you at the outset that I am not planning to write about all the books I read. In fact, though I wish I could, I can't. Something in me prevents me from sharing my thoughts about my books so easily. It's silly and perhaps even baseless, but I haven't been able to critically read books and evaluate writing. Somehow, I read books, take what i like and leave the rest. It is something i wish i could change but it's not something I am able to do with ease. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I should also say that I love reading book reviews. In fact great blogs such as this are on my reading list helping me pick out new books I want to read.
But then once in a while, there are some books which compel me to talk.
"The room" is one such book. It is a book that has been on my radar for more than six months now and I have been reluctant to read it because of the disturbing plot line. And finally, when I picked up the "courage" (i say courage because i dont know what else to call it) and the book, I must confess that it was a great read but not a happy one. It was a beautiful read but somehow also equally disturbing. I am sure, everyone knows the plot line by now as this book has been widely talked about in all press circles but just to maintain my flow and to summarize the story for those who don't know of the book and don't mind a spoiler.
The book as the title says is about life in a room. "Life" - Of a twenty seven year old woman who has been locked up in a 11 feet by 11 feet room for the past seven years against her will. She has been locked up and is being repeatedly sexually assaulted by this nameless man. The result is a young boy, who also spends the first five years of his life trapped in this room without the realization of being trapped. The book displays the courage and love of a mother as she ignores her existence and fears in order to build a world as normal as she can for her little boy. It displays the strength of a woman and her creativity in teaching a young child all about the world without being a part of it in reality. It deals with the love that ties a mother to a child. But at some level, it is more than a story of courage. It also deals with us people and our lives.
The true power of the story lies in its narration from the perspective of a five year old boy, Jack. The language, the syntax, the semantics, the thoughts and the questions that guide the book and the story are that of a five year old child but the simplicity that this imbues does not make the story silly or mundane. In fact, it somehow strips the emotions to the barest of bones and that is when they hit you hard. As I was reading, it almost felt like the great prose in other books probably somehow cushioned the emotions and gift-wrapped them while in this case, they were sharp, pointed and hard hitting, poking your insides painfully.
The story progresses without any gross representations of the distress or the trauma associated with captivity but you can feel it. You can feel it in your insides as you listen to the thoughts of a five year old boy making sense of the world around him. On a more practical and upfront level, the book makes you think about how much learning we take for granted in this world; And how difficult it can be to integrate into the world when you've been out of it all. It also shows the plasticity of children and the logic that they can display in addressing their problems and issues. Even as the story progresses to less traumatic climes as Jack and his "ma" manage to escape captivity, it highlights the different problems that they both have to cope with the change. While the young boy Jack is suddenly thrown in a world so much bigger and confusing than his 11 ft x 11 ft world, he is forced to learn the ways of his new world. He is forced to unlearn a part of his first five years and learn new rules. Rule which we learn almost automatically by virtue of our sheer existence in this world. Rules of courtesy, rules of the road, rules of addressing, rules about dangers and fears. Rules about knowing when we are spoken to, rules of good and bad, rules about time and money. He is forced to learn about the past and the future, about multiple names, lives and identities. He sees a new world with more colors, smells, tastes and truths than he ever imagined. The book makes us realize how much we take for granted in such a simple but profound manner that it left me spell bound.
While the kid is struggling with his own world being thrown upside down, it also shows his views and understanding of his "ma's" life and its problems. One gets a sense of the emotional turmoil that can rage through a woman who has been trapped for the last seven years of her life enslaved to the commands of a stranger because her son's life is at stake. One also senses the desperation that stifled her in "The Room" and the joy she experiences upon her escape. Her joy is however numbed by the struggles of her son who feels uprooted and lost in this new, fast changing world and yearns to go back to his old room where his life was predictable, happy and under his control. One can feel her agony as she struggles to fit back into her old life although things are different from what they last were. One can feel her pain as she is constantly under the media glare as the "wonder mom" who was brutally abused. One can empathize with her struggles to leave her thoughts of the room behind even as her five year old son can't let go of his life as it was.
What I loved most about the book was the end. It was cathartic in someways to see the mother walk back into the room for one last time on her son's behest. As Jack and his "ma" walk hand in hand to the old "room" they both find closure there. Jack realizes what he was missing all these years when he sees his 11 x 11 room as a tiny speck of this new huge world and he now is happy to be back to the "real world" after bidding farewell to his past in the room.
The book at some metaphorical level is also a message. A message that says that in some ways we are all trapped within our own demons, our tiny little rooms of comfort. Sometimes we know what we are missing and at other times we are in the dark, unaware of the walls bounding us, unaware of the world beyond those walls. We are all victims of our fears, our past and our experiences - which are holding us captive in our comfort zones, unable to truly live our lives. What we need to do is escape from these tight walls and breathe free. We need to walk out of our little "rooms", into the sunshine and live life all over again. It may be challenging to start with and we may miss our little wardrobes, like little Jack and we might be wishing everyday for a return to those comfortable niches that were only ours.... But then seeing the world for what it is makes you realize that you were missing out on a lot indeed! And while familiarity of the known is a comfort, there is a certain joy in freedom and adventure. There is a lot to be learnt and a lot to be done and the key is to never lock ourselves up in our little rooms, out of fear and for want of comfort. It takes courage to walk out but it is worth it - always !
But then once in a while, there are some books which compel me to talk.
"The room" is one such book. It is a book that has been on my radar for more than six months now and I have been reluctant to read it because of the disturbing plot line. And finally, when I picked up the "courage" (i say courage because i dont know what else to call it) and the book, I must confess that it was a great read but not a happy one. It was a beautiful read but somehow also equally disturbing. I am sure, everyone knows the plot line by now as this book has been widely talked about in all press circles but just to maintain my flow and to summarize the story for those who don't know of the book and don't mind a spoiler.
The book as the title says is about life in a room. "Life" - Of a twenty seven year old woman who has been locked up in a 11 feet by 11 feet room for the past seven years against her will. She has been locked up and is being repeatedly sexually assaulted by this nameless man. The result is a young boy, who also spends the first five years of his life trapped in this room without the realization of being trapped. The book displays the courage and love of a mother as she ignores her existence and fears in order to build a world as normal as she can for her little boy. It displays the strength of a woman and her creativity in teaching a young child all about the world without being a part of it in reality. It deals with the love that ties a mother to a child. But at some level, it is more than a story of courage. It also deals with us people and our lives.
The true power of the story lies in its narration from the perspective of a five year old boy, Jack. The language, the syntax, the semantics, the thoughts and the questions that guide the book and the story are that of a five year old child but the simplicity that this imbues does not make the story silly or mundane. In fact, it somehow strips the emotions to the barest of bones and that is when they hit you hard. As I was reading, it almost felt like the great prose in other books probably somehow cushioned the emotions and gift-wrapped them while in this case, they were sharp, pointed and hard hitting, poking your insides painfully.
The story progresses without any gross representations of the distress or the trauma associated with captivity but you can feel it. You can feel it in your insides as you listen to the thoughts of a five year old boy making sense of the world around him. On a more practical and upfront level, the book makes you think about how much learning we take for granted in this world; And how difficult it can be to integrate into the world when you've been out of it all. It also shows the plasticity of children and the logic that they can display in addressing their problems and issues. Even as the story progresses to less traumatic climes as Jack and his "ma" manage to escape captivity, it highlights the different problems that they both have to cope with the change. While the young boy Jack is suddenly thrown in a world so much bigger and confusing than his 11 ft x 11 ft world, he is forced to learn the ways of his new world. He is forced to unlearn a part of his first five years and learn new rules. Rule which we learn almost automatically by virtue of our sheer existence in this world. Rules of courtesy, rules of the road, rules of addressing, rules about dangers and fears. Rules about knowing when we are spoken to, rules of good and bad, rules about time and money. He is forced to learn about the past and the future, about multiple names, lives and identities. He sees a new world with more colors, smells, tastes and truths than he ever imagined. The book makes us realize how much we take for granted in such a simple but profound manner that it left me spell bound.
While the kid is struggling with his own world being thrown upside down, it also shows his views and understanding of his "ma's" life and its problems. One gets a sense of the emotional turmoil that can rage through a woman who has been trapped for the last seven years of her life enslaved to the commands of a stranger because her son's life is at stake. One also senses the desperation that stifled her in "The Room" and the joy she experiences upon her escape. Her joy is however numbed by the struggles of her son who feels uprooted and lost in this new, fast changing world and yearns to go back to his old room where his life was predictable, happy and under his control. One can feel her agony as she struggles to fit back into her old life although things are different from what they last were. One can feel her pain as she is constantly under the media glare as the "wonder mom" who was brutally abused. One can empathize with her struggles to leave her thoughts of the room behind even as her five year old son can't let go of his life as it was.
What I loved most about the book was the end. It was cathartic in someways to see the mother walk back into the room for one last time on her son's behest. As Jack and his "ma" walk hand in hand to the old "room" they both find closure there. Jack realizes what he was missing all these years when he sees his 11 x 11 room as a tiny speck of this new huge world and he now is happy to be back to the "real world" after bidding farewell to his past in the room.
The book at some metaphorical level is also a message. A message that says that in some ways we are all trapped within our own demons, our tiny little rooms of comfort. Sometimes we know what we are missing and at other times we are in the dark, unaware of the walls bounding us, unaware of the world beyond those walls. We are all victims of our fears, our past and our experiences - which are holding us captive in our comfort zones, unable to truly live our lives. What we need to do is escape from these tight walls and breathe free. We need to walk out of our little "rooms", into the sunshine and live life all over again. It may be challenging to start with and we may miss our little wardrobes, like little Jack and we might be wishing everyday for a return to those comfortable niches that were only ours.... But then seeing the world for what it is makes you realize that you were missing out on a lot indeed! And while familiarity of the known is a comfort, there is a certain joy in freedom and adventure. There is a lot to be learnt and a lot to be done and the key is to never lock ourselves up in our little rooms, out of fear and for want of comfort. It takes courage to walk out but it is worth it - always !
2 comments:
A wonderful post! I think we agree on everything about the book :). You do have the flair and ability to write your thoughts on books. You are kind to call mine reviews, when they are just thoughts with a rating at the bottom :)
Thank you Neeraja! It's nice to hear that you liked my thoughts on the book... I did think they might be redundant after reading your post but then was I compelled to write about this book...
Post a Comment