Room

Room, by Emma Donogue, was published in 2010 and was an instant hit. So, yes, this book has been out a while. There's even a movie out on it that I really really want to go see now. This novel was a best seller and a best book for good reasons, it was really good! It had such a unique take on things, especially since the narrator was none other than five year old Jack. This fiction novel could of been a terrible, typical story as I almost assumed it would be. But Jack kept things exciting, and the novel was a page turner for me. 5/5 stars, hand down.

This novel doesn't have chapters in the traditional sense, just as Jack and Ma's life aren't traditional. It bugged me at first to not have a stopping point when I had to put the book down, but it makes sense in the end.

We meet Jack and Ma in Room, where Ma has been for the past seven years and Jack his entire life. Ma was kidnapped when she was in college by Old Nick. Jack doesn't know anything about Outside, he's only ever been in Room. His life consists of only what's inside the four walls of Room, his Ma, and the routine that his Ma has created for him to help him be as normal as possible. Ma has done a really good job with what she's had, but her health is deteriorating and Ma knows they need to get out. She becomes desperate and starts to "unlie" to Jack, in that the things in TV do exists and Outside is a huge world that really exists. Jack is scared, but Ma knows they need out. Jack needs to be brave and they have to escape. Ma has tried before, sure, that's why there is no longer a cover on the back of their toilet when Ma tried to knock Old Nick out with it. So Ma concocts plan A and plan B to try and get out. Jack is terrified, their escape is on his shoulders.

Eventually, Jack and Ma do get out. They're ushered away to a private facility where Jack has to learn how to wear shoes, learn manners and boundaries. Ma has to get used to Outside too, the scars she bears in her mind are numerous and monumental. There's also reuniting with her family, and preparing to face Old Nick in court someday.

This novel is about the strength of the bond between parent and child, the resiliency of humans, the sensationalism of the press and how life is seen from the eyes of a child. This novel is powerful, a page turner, and heartbreaking all at once.

We'll Never Be Apart

I picked up We'll Never Be Apart by Emiko Jean and didn't put it down until I read the very last page. This novel was full of twists and turns, important mental health topics, some romance, as well as the topic of grief. While I guessed where this novel was headed pretty early (more than likely because I saw bits of Identical by Ellen Hopkins in it) the journey there was beautiful. This novel touched on hard topics in an approachable way. I believe very strongly in erasing the stigma surrounding mental illness and the best way to do that is education in my mind. But this novel didn't only deal with mental illness, it dealt a lot with grief, an area very much in my interest due to my work with Comfort Zone Camp.

In the novel we meet Alice, an identical twin who narrates this novel. We see Alice in two different ways; one in the present as she is committed in a mental ward at Savage Isle in Oregon, and another through her journal she writes while she is there, that looks back at her life. We learn of Alice and her twin sister Celia's hard upbringing from the moment their grandpa died and they became orphans. At that point, the Alice and Cellie decided to never be apart, no matter what. Cellie is obsessed with fire, and starting fire's seems to be the only thing that can truly calm her down. But fire causes destruction, and Cellie only causes more destruction with each new fire. So as Cellie got sicker and sicker, Alice would take blame for things and stick with her sister through it all. Through the endless merry go round of foster homes to Jason to Savage Isle to death and rebirth.

We meet Alice as she returns to Savage Isle after being in the hospital from a fire her sister set that killed her love, Jason, and nearly killed her. She's reeling from the death of Jason and trying to process his death when she learns she's being charged for his death, not just Cellie. We see Alice trying to cope with his death, and try to remember what really happened that night she escaped Savage Isle with Jason. We see the new relationships she forms with her roommate and the mysterious Chase. We see Alice break down and build back up. We see heartbreaking betrayals and portrayals of mourning.

What happens when Alice remembers what happened that night? What happens when Alice sets out to kill Cellie with Chase's help? Will Alice ever get her start at a new life apart from Cellie, where she can blossom and prove she's not one of "the fire setters."

We'll Never Be Apart is out in bookstores now :)

Fragile Bones

Fragile Bones, by Lorna Schulte Nicholson, is a refreshing, delightful and fast read. The two stars of the book, Harrison and Anna could not be more different. Harrison is 15 and has high-functioning Autism, which he would like you to know was called Asperger's before some people decided to change the rules. Harrison is obsessed with bones, and when overstimulated, finds comfort in the strange world he lives in by repeating all the bones in the human body. Harrison is also very concerned about driving safely, hates sauces on his food, doesn't like his food to touch and watches Grey's Anatomy every day after school at a particular time, because time is important too.

Anna and Harrison meet when a new club is formed at school, similar to a big buddy program, that matches kids with disabilities with "normal" students to expand their social skills. Anna is a perfectionist and wants to get this perfect, just as she's done everything else in her life. Harrison doesn't want anything to do with Anna, especially because she's 1) a girl 2) called during Grey's anatomy and 3) might wear high heels.

Throughout the novel, we see their relationship blossom, and the struggles and victories that Anna and Harrison have both individually and together. Anna becomes more personable, and realized everything isn't black and white, and not everyone fits in a perfect box. Just because you read something about autism, doesn't mean that's what autism looks like for everyone diagnosed. And Harrison learns that stepping out of your comfort zone can bring about good things every once in a while. 

I loved the approach this book took. I loved how the author expressed Harrison through simple language and made him approachable and easy to relate to. You can feel what Harrison is going through and easily have empathy for him. The novel makes you sit back for a moment and reexamine yourself, at least it did for me. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend it to anyone.