Room Book Review

Spoiler ALERT

Room looks like a children's book on the outside and reading the synopsis makes it look like an adult book. Sure, Room deals with VERY adult themes, but the narrator is a five-year-old boy, so most of the parts you think will be gritty and dark are very tame. But, that's still to say it is definitely for younger kids. They wont even understand it. The book in a positive light displays an intense mother-son relationship. Also, Joy, Jack's mother must have had a Christian upbringing. She teaches Jack about the Bible. Later, in an interview, she said she held onto her faith going through all of what happened. 

Joy teaches Jack her five year old boy, born from a rape, that the small 11x11 room they live in is the world. This gives the book a unique twist, once the two of them escape Jack has some social issues. He's lived his whole life thinking that "Room" is the whole world. This book will make you laugh and it will make you cry, but most of all it will make you think.

Language: Three uses of hell, one use of the abbreviated swear word "a-hole", Joy says some unfinished phrases.

Sexual Content: Joy is trapped in a room and is Nick (her captor) uses her as a sex slave. Now, since the narrator is a child the worst we hear of the rape is that Jack hears the bed creak. There are a couple of references to rape. Jack still breastfeeds when he is five years old. Jack touches his cousins privates because he doesn't know its wrong. References to genitalia, not sexual just stuff like Jack sees his penis.  Jack asks a little girl which breast she prefers to feed from, while her mother is standing behind her. (Weird to read.) Jack finds two little cards that have names of (probable) pornstars. Nothing is said about the pictures, he is told to throw them away and he does. Joy had one kids before Jack and her captor Nick watches as she gives birth the baby comes out with the umbilical cord tied around its neck. It dies and Nick buries it in his backyard. (VERY SHOCKING). Joy mentioned that she had an abortion when she was 18

Violence: Jack wakes up one day in room to find that his mother has bruises on her. Rape.

Drug and Alcohol: Joy takes painkillers a few times. Joy overdoses on her pills in a hospital. (It is not specific if she was trying to commit suicide or she forgot about something.

Other content: Jack's social issues make it seem like he is demanding, but he doesn't know any better. He takes a book from a bookstore without paying for it. 

Age Rating: 16/17+