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Author: Ray Melnik

ISBN: 1589615425

Harry Ladd, the protagonist of Ray Melnik’s first novel, The Room, has had a rough go of it. During his childhood he and his brother Malcolm had been on the receiving end of their father’s abuse. To escape these angry outbursts, the two youngsters would find refuge in their mother’s bedroom closest.

Deeply affected by the cruel behavior of his father as well as his mother’s reluctance to intervene, Malcolm left home during his teens and never looked back-severing all contact with his brother and mother. Apparently, Malcolm never forgave his mother for her inaction when their father physically and verbally abused them.

Harry now finds himself alone painfully witnessing his mother waste away as she has been diagnosed with brain cancer. To add to his burdens, Harry was recently divorced; however he does have the opportunity every Saturday to see his two young daughters, Kaela and Lainey. Another ray of sunshine in Harry’s life is his befriending and subsequent relationship with Lacie, the daughter of the owner of a local pub located in the friendly hamlet of Washingtonville, New York, where Harry lives.  

The plot proceeds through a series of delusional episodes experienced by Harry’s mother, who believes that Harry and Malcolm are still young children and she agonizes over her failure to intrude and stop her husband from abusing them.

On the surface and up to the last quarter of the novel, The Room feels like a light escapist read with a predictable ending. However, without giving away too much, such is not the case as readers are pulled into a tightly focused and compassionate story. What is more the narrative contains the germ of a truly refreshing and novel idea that is loosely based on an interesting take of the string theory and how an event in our life can determine the course of our future. As Melnik mentions in the Prologue, “The Room asks the question: What if parallel universes were true and somehow two of those universes could lightly touch, creating a bubble?”

The Room is not flawless and its believability is diminished by some less compelling scenes between Harry and Lucie as well as the latter’s weak characterization. At times I also found awkward the shifting from Harry’s everyday experiences with his mother, his relationship with Lacie and his daily activities. These faults aside, Melnik, in a novel that requires a solid central figure, has admirably succeeded in deftly crafting a kindhearted lost soul through actions, appearance and dialogue and one that is easy to respect and like. As Melnik brings the book to a close, Harry leaves us with some thoughts to ponder about, although I must admit that initially I was a tad confused until I re-read the Prologue and the last chapter. Furthermore, with its incorporation of a good degree of imagination and an unforeseen ending, we have a novel that is worth the read.

The above review was contributed by: NORM GOLDMAN:  Retired Title Attorney: Editor & Publisher of Bookpleasures. Here are  Norm Goldman's Reviews       

To read Norm's Interview With Ray Melnik  CLICK HERE