#character-centered

[sxpxrmxrgxr]

[thekenhughes]

The Plot-Device Machine – Motive

The Plot-Device Machine – Motive

A story is its people. We all know that, and that’s why Motive is different from the other Plot Device points. We’ve seen how Movement and especially Knowledge can organize the plot around the Strengths that will determine just who gets what they want… but Motive iswhat they want. And it doesn’t matter if the rest of the story is about fighting Dracula or diabetes; it’s plotting from the…

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[sarahbethlibrarian]

Room, by Emma Donoghue

I read this a few weeks ago, so it's not brand new, but I want to talk about it while it's still fresh, especially since it has appeared on so many best of 2010 lists.

This is an amazingly powerful book. It is told by Jack, a 4 year old boy who has never left the confines of a windowless room the size of a garden shed. 7 years before the story opens, his mother was kidnapped and held captive in this shed, and Jack is the product of his mother and her captor.  The book feels a little gimmicky at first, as it is told in the voice of a small child who has only ever met one person, but the story quickly draws you in.  This was, frankly, one of the most emotional books I've ever read, and one that had me calling my mother every 20 minutes for "reality checks."  I have never felt so concerned for the welfare of a character.

I know several people who have put this one down before the end. Don't do it.  It's hard to read, and it's scary, but it's worth it. If you think you can take it, please persevere. Donoghue ends the book on the perfect note, and it's worth the journey it takes to get there.