Emma Donoghue may not be one of those well known authors among teens like Nicholas Sparks or Suzanne Collins, but after reading her novel “Room,” there’s no denying that she’s earned her place among all the big names in literature.

Donoghue’s novel follows the story of Jack, a five year old boy who has only ever had human contact with his mother, who is consistently referred to as “Ma” throughout the entirety of the novel. Jack is enclosed in his own little world, literally; for his whole life, he has been led to believe that the world is made up of a single 11×11 ft. room that he and his mother have occupied with no contact to the outside world.

Reading about Jack and his mother being held hostage by Old Nick, the sick man behind the whole affair, was just like being stuck in the room with them. Donoghue tells this provocative story perfectly without too many disturbing details, since the story is told in the perspective of a five year old boy. Of course, there are some concepts that go right over little Jack’s head, like how his mother tries so hard to keep him occupied and happy, all the while in agony, trying desperately to find a way out of the room she has been forced to occupy for the past seven years.

Jack, on the other hand, loves his room – it’s where he grew up; it’s his home. Once Jack finally understands that there is, in fact, an outside world, his mother does everything in her power to convince him that it is where they belong. After devising a high-risk plan to escape their prison, Jack finds out that the real world isn’t exactly what he thought it was.

“Room” will not only open your eyes to the immensity of evil within some people, but it will also force you to sympathize with the thousands of women and children who are kidnapped, held hostage, or taken advantage of day after day. Emma Donoghue’s novel will bring you to tears. Ma’s unconditional love for her son is heartwarming as well as inspiring. Ma and Jack give each other hope, which is the one thing that keeps them both alive. This dynamic duo is more than just a mother and son – it’s an inseparable bond of friendship, trust, dependence on one another, and above all, the powerful bond of a mother and a son. Once you pick up this book, be prepared to become trapped in a world that will hold you hostage until the very last page.