"Room" by Emma Donoghue is a haunting book. The book is told by Jack, a 5 year old boy who lives in one room with his Mom. His Mom was kidnapped in her early 20's and during the time she is being held she has Jack.
Although it is a tough subject to read about the book is never violent. The wondrous life Jack's Mom gives him in Room allows him to grow and learn like most 5 year olds. They have school time, phys ed, cook their meals and have bath time all in Room. They have a TV to pass the time but Jack thinks that what is on TV is from different planets. He doesn't understand that there is life outside of Room.
I enjoyed "Room" and loved the innocent and literal way Jack sees the world. Definitely different than anything I have ever read!
"The Gift Of An Ordinary Day" was a heartfelt memoir by a woman at a crossroads in life. The author is in her late 40's and finds herself feeling unsettled. The next few years in her life she uproots her family from the home they have lived in for more than 10 years to build their "dream" home in the country far from family and friends. She learns many life lessons during the time they are building the house. Lessons primarily focused on her being a Mom of 2 growing boys.
There were many places in the book where I understood and identified with the author, Katrina. The pains of a mothers heart unifies us mothers as our children grow up and move onto lives of their own. That time is hard on us parents. As I am soon facing that time in my own life with our oldest child a junior in high school, what others at my book club felt like was winy..I felt like crying right along with the author. There's a mortality to a parent's place in their child's life. Our relationship with our children grows and evolves as they grow and although I will always be my children's Mom, I am no longer an infant's Mom, a toddler's Mom, or a preschoolers Mom. I think instead of focusing on being sad about that and my kiddos getting older I will try to remind myself that I am Trent's Mom, Colleen's Mom and Meghan's Mom..no matter what their age or where they are in life.
