12 Days of a LitPig Christmas: 1

On the 1st day of Christmas my LitPig brought to me ...

A BOX SET OF ROALD DAHL BOOKS

Each day I want to share the writing of an author that I read for the first time in 2011.   These are my personal choices - you may know many of them, but perhaps one or two will be new to you ... So why not try a new author in 2012.  

January 2011:
EMMA DONOGHUE - Room

'Room' was shortlisted for the 2010 Man Booker prize.  This is a Marmite book - you either LOVE it or HATE it.  I devoured this in four days, totally drawn into Jack's world and completely loved it.  The entire story is told by Jack, five years old, who is held captive along with his young mother.  He's never been outside the room he was born in.  The plotline closely resembles a rather famous true story from the US but becomes cleverly takes the reader far beyond a mere abduction tale and zooms in to focus on the psychological impact to Jack and his mother upon their release. 
The writing is fluid and pacey.  At times you do question the narrative voice - as Jack is an incredibly articulate five year old, but the story telling keeps you reading.  I did find the ending comes up very quick and this was a book I was sad to finish.


Future reading ... novels by Emma Donoghue:

• Stir Fry (1994)
• Hood  (1995)
• Slammerkin (2000)
• Life Mask (2004)
• Landing (2007)
• The Sealed Letter (2008)
• Room (2010)

Short Story anthologies:
Kissing the Witch (1997)
The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits (2002) - Have to read this just for the title alone!
Touchy Subjects (2006)