Room

Quickie Recap: 5 year-old Jack is being held captive with his Ma in a tiny space he calls Room. He has no concept of the outside world as he's never seen it. But when their captor loses his job, putting his ability to support Room in jeopardy, Ma realizes they need to get out, or be killed. She fakes Jack's death and relies on her 5 year old son to escape, and bring help, and unbelievably, he does.

Quickie Review: It feels a little like a spoiler to have written what I already have, but it's not. That's just the basic premise. It's what comes after their escape that makes up the meat of this book, and also what makes it stand out. It's not so much about victimhood as rehabilitation - it's very hard to readapt to the world if you didn't even know the world existed. Emma Donoghue is an excellent writer who miraculously manages to avoid the maudlin sentimentality and comes up with a taut and smart story about survival, and about a unique mother-son bond that will make you feel all the feels.

Quickie Recommendation: A definite favourite, I cannot recommend it enough. And I'm happy also to report nothing but love for the film adaptation starring Brie Larson. Read the book, then watch the movie, then tell a friend.

The Martian

by Andy Weir

Quickie Recap: Astronaut Mark Watney is left behind on a Mars mission and now faces the physical and psychological challenge of bleek, lonely, long-term survival until the next mission, 4 impossible years away, may return to save him.

Quickie Review: This book heavy on technical detail. Watney writes mission logs highlighting the challenges that each day presents, his problem-solving, and the outcome. Although the technology is light-years over my head, I still enjoyed reading these parts, and though I can't verify the sciences, it certainly sounds plausible, like Weir must have spent an exhaustive amount of time on research. His imagination doesn't fail us either, and I particularly enjoyed Watney's brand of wit. Weir does a great job of balancing the desolation with humour.

Quickie Recommendation: One of the more enjoyable reads I've had all year. Although I can see that the science-heavy jargon may not be for everyone, I still find it accessible to a general audience and I'm eagerly awaiting something else from this promising new author.