Room

Emma Donoghue

2010

3.5
⚠️Content Warnings
Child AbuseSexual AbuseSuicide or Self-HarmViolence
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. To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. It’s where he was born, it’s where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it’s the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack’s curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer. 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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Tonight’s fit

Best for readers who enjoy:  Emotional · Psychology · Steady

Emotional The Shed POV: First-Person Published by Little, Brown and Company
Characters
Children Evil Family
Sub-genre
Psychology Suspense Thriller
Experience
Emotional Immersive Unique
Pace
Gentle Adrenaline
Balanced
Tone
Light Dark
Balanced
Book length
Short Epic
Balanced
More nuance
Violence
Soft Graphic
Balanced
Romance
Background Front and centre
Background
Worldbuilding
Light touch Deep & dense
Deep & dense
Readability
Breezy Dense
Balanced
Humour
Serious Very funny
Serious
Target audience
Younger Adult
Balanced
Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue

Literary Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction

Emma Donoghue is an Irish Canadian novelist, screenwriter, playwright and literary historian. Her 2010 novel Room was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donoghue's 1995 novel Hood won the Stonewall Book Award and Slammerkin won the Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction.

Books By This Author

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Reader Reviews

3.50
10 ratings
10 reviews
5 stars
2 (20%)
4 stars
4 (40%)
3 stars
1 (10%)
2 stars
3 (30%)
1 stars
0 (0%)
6 January 2026
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Really enjoyed: Room

⚠️ Spoilers: minor plot detail mentioned below. Room is the kind of book that hooks you early if you like its vibe. The pacing stays moving and the chapters end on good beats. There’s a specific turning point late in the book that changes the tone hard — that moment will make or break it for you. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
Spoiler ahead Click to reveal this review.
0
6 January 2026
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Mixed feelings: Room

I went into Room with pretty normal expectations and it surprised me. The pacing stays moving and the chapters end on good beats. A couple of sections could have been trimmed without losing anything. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
0
6 January 2026
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Didn’t work for me: Room

⚠️ Spoilers: minor plot detail mentioned below. Mixed feelings on Room, but I can see why people love it. A couple of sections could have been trimmed without losing anything. There’s a specific turning point late in the book that changes the tone hard — that moment will make or break it for you. If you’re on the fence, try a sample — you’ll know quickly.
Spoiler ahead Click to reveal this review.
0
6 January 2026
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Loved it: Room

Room is the kind of book that hooks you early if you like its vibe. The atmosphere is the standout — it’s easy to sink into. A couple of sections could have been trimmed without losing anything. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
0
6 January 2026
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Didn’t work for me: Room

0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Really enjoyed: Room

0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Really enjoyed: Room

⚠️ Spoilers: minor plot detail mentioned below. Mixed feelings on Room, but I can see why people love it. The pacing stays moving and the chapters end on good beats. There’s a specific turning point late in the book that changes the tone hard — that moment will make or break it for you. I’d still read more from this author even with the flaws.
Spoiler ahead Click to reveal this review.
0
6 January 2026
User Avatar

Didn’t work for me: Room

Room has a strong core idea — the execution mostly works. The ending resolves fast compared to how much it builds up. If you’re on the fence, try a sample — you’ll know quickly.
0
6 January 2026
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Really enjoyed: Room

0
6 January 2026
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Loved it: Room

0