The Silent Room is the story of Oz, whose stepfather frames him for drug possession and gets him send away to the Briarwood School, which is located on an island in the middle of a swamp in Florida. Shortly after arriving there, he realizes that the school is run by a sadistic group of adults. Etc., etc., etc.
Dude. Spoilers follow.
1. I don't buy it. Before sending him to Briarwood, his mother is on the ball enough to "get him help" (in the form of a sadistic --yes, another one -- psychologist), but she doesn't notice that all of his problems began at exactly the same time her New Man moved in? It would have made sense if there was some back story about Oz being 'troubled' before the arrival of his new stepfather, but it was just the opposite. He was a good kid before Don Guidry's arrival.
2. If you're going to put a kid in a windowless, bathroomless, trashcanless room for a week, only letting him out ONCE (for a shower), it might be a good idea to take the whole 'BATHROOMLESS' aspect into account. Not mentioning it is not the right way of going about it.
3. If a kid gets screwed (figuratively) by pretty much everyone he meets, do you REALLY think he's going to confide ALL OF HIS secrets to the Evil Headmistress's stepdaughter? I mean ALL of them, down to and including the NAME of the FBI agent looking into the school?? NO. I don't care how hot she is -- he'd play his cards a bit closer to the chest. That, or he's just really, REALLY stupid.
4. The kid has a 6 million dollar trust fund that A) he doesn't know about and B) his mother SIGNS OVER to the Briarwood School. I don't think so.
Fans of child abuse books, psychological thrillers, action adventure novels might like this. If they don't worry too much about logic, that is.
I just got done reading this book yesterday. I had the same reaction to it. It was an alright book but there were too many things that just didn't make sense. But he only had 2 mill. in a trust fund. It was 6 mill. including all the other kids money. but ...
first... when "agent suttles" came in. and he really thought it was him. The agent said he needed evidence. But Oz didn't say anything.. like he hadnt already found a body in the woods.. or a folder in the filing drawer of trust funds. But that didn't matter because it didn't end up being a real agent anyway.
and at the end. He acted like he was fine with that camryn girl taking over a million of his money and then being so grateful to give him 700 thousand. I would have been like .. You screwed me .. im reporting you and getting my money back.
&& then I got confused at the end. Camryn was one of the bad people .. abel or w.e. then martin shugrue was the other one.. but who was the third one. the agent? because dr. kinnear and mrs. kinnear were actually brother and sister. and don was in it for part of the money too.
Posted by: Sarah | 22 July 2008 at 12:06 PM
i kno this isagoodbookimalmost dunn but im at the partwhen hes runnig from the dogs @ the very endon page 207
Posted by: jakira rogers | 19 September 2009 at 10:41 AM
i just read this book like a week ago & my crazy teacher makin me do a book report about it if you want im goin 2 ppostt the url for you people 2 check it out on my fb page.
Posted by: adrian sanderson | 22 September 2010 at 05:14 PM
i have to agree with sarah i mean he dousent menchion anything about the body or trust funds i think alot of the book was just rushed but besides that i sorta wished that i knew someone like camryn she just seems.... unique to other characters in books ive read
Posted by: Tyler Rachel | 24 March 2011 at 04:46 PM