I'm very late to the party on this and it has been in my TBR for a couple of years at least. Now I've read it, I wish I'd done it a long time ago.
Some books you read, and some you experience. This is an experience.
Jack is 5. He lives in Room with Ma. Old Nick comes in at night and makes squeaks on Bed with Ma. Sometimes he brings Sundaytreats. Nothing else exists for Jack. Outside is a fantasy he sees on TV.
We're thrown right in at the deep end in this book. The whole story is narrated from Jack's totally unique point of view.
This book is has leapt straight into my top ten all time reads. I genuinely cannot remember the last time a book had the emotional impact on me that this book had.
I was wiping tears from my eyes for nearly a third of the book at least. I could feel young Jack's confusion as he learnt the truth about his existence. When I read the escape attempt, I had to take an extra half an hour for my lunch to get through it and then recover emotionally enough to go back to my desk.
This book is genius on every level. Jack's voice is convincing with the grammar errors scattered through it. There's always enough information for us to fill in the gaps between what is happening and what he thinks is happening. His innocence makes the book truly heartbreaking.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
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