ROOM by Emma Donaghue

ROOM by Emma Donoghue

Publisher:  Picador

Year:  2010

Today I’m five.  I was four last night going to sleep in Wardrobe, but when I wake up in Bed in the dark I’m changed to five, abracadabra.  Before that I was three, then two, then one, then zero.  “Was I minus numbers?”

That’s how the novel ROOM by Emma Donoghue begins.  A child sleeps in a Wardrobe (capital “W”), then somehow wakes up in Bed (capital “B”) and in the magical way of noticing that small children have, this child feels the wondrous transformation that turning five can bring in a manner that most children that age don’t experience it—as a catalogue of steps; not an explosion of joy with the anticipation of presents, cake and a party.  But though these are clearly the ruminations of a small child, there’s such a big difference in the thoughts this particular child has about the world.  This fact is evident even in these first few sentences of Donoghue’s novel.  The capital letters at the beginning of words signify unwarranted status to inanimate and commonplace things.  The numerical musings of a little child who can go to sleep in a wardrobe, and then wake up in a bed as though that is a common occurrence, hint at a smart kid, who at the age of five knows what ‘minus’ numbers are, and can apply that concept to his own existence.  With just those four sentences at the start of Room, you immediately sense that an extraordinary thing is taking place in this child’s life and within a  page, you know what’s going on with this boy, and in my case, I felt ill, and nearly put the book down soon after I realized what this book was about.

Some years ago there was a case about an Austrian father who’d forced his daughter to live in a room deep in his basement where he raped her for decades, fathering seven children with her, and then raising some of those children as adoptees.  I was horrified at this news story, and angered.  The idea of such criminality is repulsive in a way that words can’t express; deep within myself as I listened to the news and read about the story, I felt myself cringing, becoming physically sick—the strong emotional memories of what was only a news story (albeit a deeply affecting one) to me a few years ago were brought back nearly full force when I started to read ROOM.  The novel’s central idea is a grotesque one but what made me continue to read this book was, at first, the idea of a triumphant ending, reading further I was captured by the author’s masterly use of language, then Donoghue’s close attention to details, and her composition of a world where every consideration was made to show how people could actually live trapped in such a situation.  Donoghue’s unnamed mother in ROOM has a son named Jake, and to maintain both his and her sanity, and to make things as normal as she remembers things to have been outside of ROOM, she creates a world of known things for her son, devoting herself to her five year old as his mother, playmate, friend, older sister, advisor, teacher, coach but not as his savior.  That’s Jake’s job for her.  In the midst of living each day in a small shack (“Room”), surviving tedium, and the listing of what Jake and his mother have to do every day to keep from disintegrating as people, I found not a misplaced thought, nor an untrue sentiment.  This must be what it’s like for some people who have lived through such horror.  And it may be exactly like what some poor souls are going through right now, in shacks and dungeons around the world…I literally shudder at such a thought.  I shudder at the “truth telling” (in the way that actors refer to a superior acting performance as “truth”) in this novel.

You would think that you can’t get much drama into such a small space or in reading about brushed teeth, daily lessons, gym, the strategies for keeping food fresh, and what to do about ‘Old Nick’ (the kidnapper) when he comes to give Jake and his Mother “Sunday treat” (the day the kidnapper may or not bring Jake and his Mother the sometimes special things they request).  I read each of ROOM’s pages avidly, rooting for Mother and Son, hoping, and marveling at how wrapped up I got in this novel, and how at the end I couldn’t stop thinking about the book for weeks, recommending it to book friends, and wishing I knew more of what happened afterwards.  I really want to know.  I really do.

My review:  go read this book

Splice movie review

As a geek on the order of one who likes openings to movies with pseudo-sciency things, gadgets and beakers with viscous fluids that keep dismembered body parts alive and ready for mayhem, “Splice” sucked me in immediately.

Adrien Brody, Oscar winning actor in the Holocaust movie “The Piano”, stars as scientist Clive Nicoli, who along with his partner and lover, Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley), work with an international corporation to splice together the genes of disparate creatures in the hopes of creating genetic products (proteins, medicines) that will benefit the livestock industry, and make tons of money. Whew! You know that things will go wrong somewhere.

A first real success happens when the scientists create a male and female creature who mate, and together synthesize a protein that shows monetary promise. The International Corporation, who initially provided autonomy to the brilliant but somewhat flighty pair of scientists, decides to redirect their research to solely synthesizing the beneficial protein discovered from the new species, halting the direction of Clive and Elsa’s research. Feeling misused, and cut off from further discovery, the pair, initially led by Elsa, splice DNA into a human ovum, against the wishes of their patron; and the genetic result is something unexpected (that is, if you haven’t seen or read any genetic science fiction in your life).

The words “popcorn” and “movie” come to mind when I think about how I would recommend this movie. Very Very, VERY far from perfect; with some unrealistic plot twists that leave you thinking “huh?”, “Splice” is a Z-grade movie. But then it’s not striving to illuminate philosophical questions about life, and the current human ability to manipulate the genome. At its best, this movie is trying to keep you eating popcorn while you wait for the climaxes you know are about to come. And these climaxes are well done, sometimes riveting. And the spliced creature of the title is extremely well rendered, well acted and creepily appealing.

The familiar scifi tropes of the possibility of interspecies mating, the dangers inherent in humanity playing God and the potential for the destruction of all human life that could be perpetrated by science and its poor decision making in the name of discovery, are all here. There’s subtext and nuance in the hinted at abusive past of Elsa, which makes her needy and then extremely cruel at quick turns in the movie giving you pause, and in my case, made me wonder about Elsa’s past, her mother, and just how abusive her past could have been.

I also wondered about Clive’s co-dependency, and the ease with which he was manipulated by his lover against his better instincts and then ultimately how easily he later crossed ethical lines he may not have crossed without Elsa as his partner, and I could see how he’d pay for his weakness and lack of character sometime later.( Or could have this lack of character simply been consuming love?)

All in all “Splice” is not a movie to spend 12 bucks on in the theater, but as a rental, or late night viewing on a premium cable channel, it’s well worth a look, popcorn at the ready, brain checked at the door.

My review:  if it comes on when you're channel surfing, watch it

Dead Ever After

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Dead Ever After (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood book # 13) by Charlaine Harris

The last book in the series, for sure!  (But somehow I doubt that.)

Have I really read all 13 of these books?  How'd that happen?

There's no reason to write a full review of this book.  I you're picking up #13, there's nothing I need to reshash or detail...

I came to Sookie through the HBO series True Blood, which is based on these Southern Gothic Vampire novels.  The show was initially intriguing and I'm one of those people who's obsessive about reading source material so I can have a deeper understanding of what  a show's all about.  Add to that fact that my wife is exactly the same as me when it comes to this, and I got the first 7 books in the series soon after the series started and blew threw them quickly my wife and I discussing the miniutiae of Sookie Stackhouse's supernatural world, and her adventures with great pleasure. 

True Blood took sharp turns away from the source material long ago, and I can alternately enjoy, love and truly loathe the direction of this show from year to year all on its own merits without compromising my devoted interest in what happens to Sookie in Harris' books.  The books also vary in quality and their level of entertainment, but that's how it goes with really good gossip; which is how the books read. So, I kept reading these books knowing something juicy would come up eventually.  Charlaine Harris really knows how to lay out hints and teasers throughout her stories to keep you turning pages waiting for Sookie's next choice in supernatural lovers, or finding out who's setting out to kill her, and what new supernatural creature will make an appearance to wreak havoc.  Good stuff.

The last book in the series disappointed, I had my own ideas about what I wanted for Sookie at the end, but honestly, this is Charlaine Harris' "last" ride, and true to form, her characters remained true to themselves and it all worked out for the best.  And more than that I could hope for, but I wasn't too upset, and glad to have been along with Sookie on the ride for the last 5 years.

My review:  Well worth it, if you're a fan.