Room

Book excerpt: Five-year-old Jack and his Ma live in Room, an 11 foot square shed in the backyard of their abductor and captor, Old Nick. Ma came to Room from outside, but Jack was born into it and has never known anything else. Despite their confinement, Ma creates an extraordinary situation for her son, filled with learning, creative activities, and fantastic stories like Lewis Carroll s Alice in Wonderland. But Jack is growing bigger and older. Ma knows they must somehow escape this prison, but the challenge is how to do it. Their space is locked, soundproofed, and isolated. And yet, Ma and Jack come up with a plan that is a brave and scary. Ma and Jack succeed against many odds. The story balances their endurance outside Room with their survival tactics inside. Room is a complex and richly thematic novel told from the innocent outlook and perspective of the small Jack. Included in the discussion guide is an exclusive Bookclub-in-a-Box interview with Emma Donoghue. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author, as well as a complementary RAG (Read-Along-Guide), a quick reference pamphlet offering interesting facts and questions to consider while reading the novel.