Rainy Day Reads

I recently read “Room” by Emma Donoghue and really liked it (review here). So when I saw this at my library I figured I would check it out.   It is a story about an English nurse, Lib, in the late 19th century, who is sent to Ireland to be part of an investigation into a girl who claims to subsist on nothing. The girl, Anna, has apparently been living on air for four months, but in order for her doctor to establish it as a fact, a committee decides to send for two nurses to watch over the child for two weeks to see if she smuggles food somehow.  Lib is certain she will quickly unravel this so-called mystery and reveal the girl as a sham, but she gets tangled up in the case in a way she never thought she would.  I quite liked this book, but it wasn’t as compelling as “Room”. But I do think that one is hard to follow. We see things from Lib’s point of view and follow her personal ups and downs as the case proceeds. I think she was an interesting character...

Absolutely everyone has been raving about this book ever since it first came out. And for once I will join that chorus. I really enjoyed this book. As with “The Dumbhouse” by John Burnside it wasn't a pleasant or cozy book to read, but it was well written and dealing with an interesting topic.   If you haven’t heard about this book it deals with kidnapping and sexual abuse so do be aware of triggers if/when reading it. The story is told from the point-of-view of a five-year-old boy named Jack. He lives in Room with his Ma, and they have lived there his whole life. We soon learn that Jack’s mother is the victim of a kidnapper who is keeping her locked up in the garden shed and sexually abuses her on a regular basis. She has chosen to tell Jack that Room is all there is in the world, everything they see in TV is pretend. But one day she learns something from the captor that makes her question whether or not their lives can continue as they are. She fears her captor will wa...