Room is the story of a boy and his mother who have been trapped inside a Room, the boy for his entire life. The boy, Jack, knows nothing about the world outside of Room, and believes that only things inside the Room, like him and his Ma, are real.

Discussion questions in spoiler tags, just in case. They're from the back of the book.

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1. Why do you think the entire novel is told in Jack's voice? Do you think this narrative approach is effective?
2. Discuss the ways in which Jack's development has been stunted by growing up in Room. Has he on any level benefited from the seclusion?
3. If you were Ma, what would you miss most about the outside world?
4. What would you do differently if you were Jack's parent? Would you tell Jack about the outside world from the start?
5. If Ma had never given birth to Jack, how might her situation in Room have been different?
6. What would you ask for, for Sundaytreat, if you were Jack? If you were Ma?
7. Describe the dynamic between Old Nick and Ma. Why do you think the author chose not to tell us Old Nick's story?
8. What does joining the outside world after so long do to Jack? To Ma?
9. Discuss the role the news media play in the novel.

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This is a discussion thread for people who have read or are reading the book in question. With that in mind, there are likely to be spoilers throughout. However, in the event of major twists or “how it ends”, please wrap content in spoiler tags.

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[spoiler]Surprise!content here[/spoiler]

The following 1 user Likes Leif Heaney's post:1 user Likes Leif Heaney's post
   Aldous Crouch

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Room is a lot different than I thought it would be. First off, I thought it was narrated from the mother's view when I looked at it or summaries of it, but now I realize it was told through Jack's much more innocent and caring point of view. I think this helps to lift away some of the heaviness of the book's topics, and Jack doesn't understand a lot of things that would fit into the heavy category. It's also so we can understand how much growing up in Room has affected him, vs. how being trapped there affects Ma. While Jack was stunted by Room in that he hasn't much knowledge of social interactions beyond his Ma, at least he was able to watch TV, and isn't like he's never seen technology before.

If I was Ma, the thing I would miss the most about the outside world is my family. It would kill me to think that they thought I was dead, especially since I would have no way of communicating with them. But if I was her, I would tell Jack about everything outside from the start. I can understand how she might think it better, but I would want him to know things in case we ever left. Especially about my family. I might have even asked that he be taken elsewhere, except I wouldn't know if Old Nick just planned to bury him. If Ma had never had Jack, I think she would have lost hope for everything outside of Room, and potentially even tried to kill herself.

For Sundaytreat, if I was Jack, I would ask for lots of toys. Or maybe some of my favorite foods. If I was Ma, I'd ask for practical things. Cleaning supplies, some tools. I doubt that Ma would get any tools because they could be used to hurt Old Nick, but it would be nice to be able to fix things. I think Ms. Donoghue didn't tell us about Old Nick's perspective because then there might be people who could find 'redeemable' qualities in him(as for me, I doubt there would be any) besides, it isn't Nick's story they're telling, it's Jack's.

Jack has trouble

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adjusting to the outside world. It's not like what he's used to, and it's so big. He gets sick, and he has to learn how to deal with more sensory input than he is used to in Room. For Ma, it is like she's returning home, but not really. Everything has changed, and people are trying to interfere in her life. The news media wants to hear about their story, but they're not really understanding of the way that it has affected Jack and Ma.

  

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