The Room

I read this book for the first time while spending an unpleasant time aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. In fact, it was the last full month of my time there, and in my depths and dives of depression/mania held a certain charm that I couldn't find elsewhere. The train of thought ramblings, the progression of fantasy from simple, righteous revenge to things more sinister; I have at times found myself reliving things for the sake of altering their outcome in my head, if only to make myself feel venerable rather than pathetic or disgusting. A reviewer (8 years ago) seemed to suggest there are graphic scenes of animal cruelty, which causes me to question their understanding of the novel. The doggies are very clearly NOT the four legged, "man's best friend" sort. Mrs. Haagstrom would have been happy to see their show, I'm sure.

Whenever you read something by Selby you have to wonder how sick and disgusting the human mind can get. Do not misunderstand me. I think Selby is brilliant and everyone should read his works when they are ready for it. But not until then. Indeed, with Room that hole into the soul of humanity is so deep that if you were in the last level of hell, you would still be looking down...a long, long way. This book has been the worst experience of my life. I would highly recommend it.

Dark. Thats all I can say. A very dark book. To maintain this level of darkness all the way through a novel is a wonderful achievement. Dont give it to your granny or your kids.

First off, let me say this book is not for the squeamish or easily offended. As anyone who has read Selby before knows, his writing is about as 'reality based' as you can get and he spares the reader nothing as he delves deep into the minds of the often-forgotten denizens of our society.When I first started The Room, I thought it would be a kinder, gentler Selby, since there are few characters and only one setting. However, this is definitely one of his most searing novels, and parts of it make Last Exit To Brooklyn seem like almost family reading. Selby has an amazing ability to define his characters so well, that not only do you understand/see their madness, but you also see the human being that lies beneath the madness, the part that at one point in time had potential to live in our society, but circumstance and environment led them to the lower levels of society; the bums, criminals, prostitutes, etc. To ignore his writing is to also ignore the breakdown that is happening at the edges of society, and the suffering that the 'average' person has to endure in their lifetime.Despite the heavy content, I was unable to put The Room down as I became more familiar with the main character and his true nature and situation slowly reveal themselves, like an evil thing lurking in the shadows with a pleasant smile (or something).Any Selby fans who have not come across this book should order it right now! You will not be disappointed and this book was the follow-up to Last Exit To Brooklyn, so it was written during that period when Selby seemed to have an agenda. His more recent books (The Demon, The Willow Tree) just didn't do it for me like this one, Last Exit to Brookyln and Requiem for A Dream did. Very compelling reading.