Outside, the debut novel from author and Content Creator, Sarah Ann Juckes, is the story of Ele, a teenage girl who has been kidnapped and held captive in a single room by Him. Already being touted as the YA version of Emma Donoghue's Room, this book is a harrowing look at life in bleak and filthy captivity for a young girl who understands there is more to her tiny reality.

The comparisons are justified: Outside has a similar story and plot, and the play on language is familiar (capitalisation of certain nouns, identification of objects etc.). While it even addresses the same issues of abduction, sexual abuse and consent, it does so in a sensitive manner that allows this book to be suitable for younger readers.

I liked how this book presented Ele's small world; the descriptions of it were well evoked and her resilience and curiosity despite her circumstances were admirable. The story is gently gripping, in that there isn't a heavy use of shock factor but you are eager to learn of Ele's fate. When Ele escapes (this isn't a spoiler, as it pretty much says so in the blurb), the story to shifts to how she adapts outside and tries to make sense of the world around her. While in Room there was a focus on emotional distress and mental health following the protagonist's escape, here the emphasis is more on Ele's eagerness to learn and ache for human contact. Through meeting Willow and his Dad, the theme of found family and human connection emerges.

Despite an unexpected and upsetting conclusion, the ultimate feeling that emerges here is hope. Ele is a warm and brave character and we completely get behind her. There were a few minor issues with the consistency of the story: How does Ele know what a gingerbread house and a bears' house is, yet fails to identify 'a concrete square with an entrance'? Ele reads a lot so I understand that she is familiar with fairy tales, but surely the tendency for a bright girl to connect things in her head would be strong? Throughout the story there are times where you will find yourself thinking: "Surely if she knows what X is, she should know what Y is?". The novel also got off to a slower start than I would have liked but I was willing to get over this to discover what was in store for Ele.

Overall, Outside is an impressive debut and a poignant and engaging read that will appeal to a large YA audience.

This is being pitched as the YA answer to ROOM by Emma Donoghue, and after reading this novel, I feel like this is a pretty apt comparison – though there’s still plenty to surprise you about OUTSIDE if you’ve read ROOM already.

Ele, our protagonist and narrator, is held inside a single room – and her captor is known only as “Him”. She shares this space with the Others, who are not quite like her. Her brother, Zeb, used to be held here too – until he made a mistake that meant that Ele never saw him again. She passes her time by reading storybooks and tapping out a secret code to Jack, a boy who may or may not be on the other side of the wall. She is sure that an Outside exists – and she wants to prove it to herself.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book – Ele escapes (I don’t count that as a spoiler seeing as it’s literally in the blurb) and finds herself having to face the Outside alone, away from Him and the Others and Jack. Her backstory of how she ended up in the Inside with Him and the Others is slowly revealed as she gets to grips with living on the Outside, and it managed to surprise me constantly.

Ele’s narration took a little getting used to – her learning has been limited to what she hears from Him and her books, so she often uses the wrong words for things (for example, calling a car a “dragon”), and her sentences tend to be quite blunt and simplistic. I was a bit confused at first because her narration made me think she was from a certain place (which only led to more confusion when it was revealed where the book is actually set) – but this is actually a rather clever plot point which makes sense towards the end of the book.

Despite the very dark subject matter (with Ele being a victim of abuse and kidnapping by Him), there’s a lot of warmth in this story, with lovely elements of found family and discovery and freedom. The relationships between the characters were well-drawn and realistic, and I closed the book feeling hopeful for Ele and her future.

If you like your books dark and deep then Outside is most definitely for you.

In Outside we meet Ele. Ele has never been Outside. She has an idea of what it is like in her head for her books have told her all about it. Things like rain, the sun and moon, the dragons and princesses. But really all her world is in one room where she has spent her whole life. There are the Others in there with her and she used to have her brother but he's no longer there. And then there's Him. He comes to visit. But when he does its never a good day for He does things that hurt.

Ele knows there's and outside and her books are proof of this. Ele is determined to get Outside and escape Him. No matter what the cost...

I was absolutely hooked on this book. For a YA book it's very dark and although the description of abuse isn't explicitly stated, the undertones cannot be missed. Putting it bluntly, this is the story of how a child is locked in a room and has no grasp of 'Outside' language so whilst she can understand it a little (because He speaks Outside), she has her own language and terminology for things (for example, Ele calls light bulbs Sun Bars).

As the language is very stylised it took me a little while to read it easily (I kept having to think about what certain words may mean), but once I did oh boy was it a belter.

I became very invested in Ele. After her escape she literally had no clue about how to act or even how to wear clothes as she was never given any. My heart broke for her. But she had a spirit that couldn't be broken and was feisty enough to fight for herself when others didn't. Although the Outside was so scary for her she pushed through her fear and comfort zone and was a little powerhouse of a young girl.

For a debut novel, Juckes is most definitely one to watch out for. I can't wait for her next offering.

A 5 star read for me.

I would like to thank Penguin and Netgalley for a copy of this book on exchange for a review.

I have to admit that I found this book hard to read. It very quickly becomes apparent that the main character ele is being abused and is held capture. When she escapes we learn the extent of what actually happened. Interesting perspective, seeing things for the first time and no knowing what they are. For a little tired of that towardsthe end though.

This book has been compared to Room, though it is from the point of view of a teenage girl instead of the young son of teenage victim of kidnapping. The first part of the novel is filled with magical elements which start to dissipate when the protagonist learns to relate to the world 'Outside'. While I saw the first twist coming from a mile away, I did not expect the second one- the epilogue helped to tie up a few loose ends, but I felt there was much more story to tell....I would like to have spent more time with the family while they went through therapy, and learned more about how the police, doctors, social workers and lawyers treat the victims of such horrific abuse.
I would recommend this book to young male readers in particular, as I was impressed by the range of emotions shown by the father and son, and the ways they overcame their struggles with communication. I would also encourage students who enjoy this book to research modern slavery and read about children like Genie who are raised in isolation.

Plot: Ele has been held captive in a small room by a man known only as “Him”, but she’s convinced that there is, in fact, a world Outside, and she’s going to prove it, even if she’s never seen. When a hole appears in the wall at a time when everything seems like it’s ending, she sees her chance.

My thoughts: This was definitely a creepy read. It was very similar to Room by Emma Donoghue which I reviewed and really enjoyed last year, but had a bit more of a mystery element and some twists to unravel. There were points were aspects seemed a little unrealistic – I wondered occasionally why certain decisions were (or weren’t, as the case may be) being made. But overall, a good read that had a good ending.

A good debut novel. Rather slow to start, but once I got into it I enjoyed it. Dark, powerful and compelling. Recommended.

*thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House UK Children’s for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

1 star.

Wow do I feel like the odd one out with this book. While I love the cover that's pretty much it. I couldn't get into the story but I made it to the end. I hoped it would get more interesting but this clearly wasnt for me.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book. I absolutely hate giving up on a book but this was confusing and uncomfortable to read and I felt nothing for Ele..
I hope I can in future come back to it with a different frame of mind and try again.

It has to be said that this book should come with a trigger warning- neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse- it’s all in here. Yet having said that Juckes writes in such a lyrical, compelling way as to not give you the time to dwell- you are so suckered in to this story that I left my own issues at the cover, rather than the door, as it were. The characters are so well detailed and so well drawn out, I felt I was in there with them and knew them all, I loved Ele in particular. A fantastic read.

This author has never eaten Spam:
‘I hold the can upside down and it makes a squelch as it comes out’. No Spam has ever come out when held upside down. It needs to be dug out.

That aside, I perhaps would have enjoyed this book a little more if I hadn’t already read Room by Emma Donoghue, which I loved. But Outside just didn’t work for me. Whereas Room got every word and nuance spot on, Outside was full of contradictions and didn’t follow its own logic.

Possible spoilers.

How on earth could she read and understand a book about Mozart, whilst not understanding the most basic nouns. Another occasion she doesn’t understand the word ‘rude’, but earlier in the book she talks about someone’s manners. She uses the similie ‘churned up like butter’ but on the sane page doesn’t understand the word ‘spoon’.

She has a balanced, analytical mind and is more introspective than most adults I know! She’s very comfortable with human intimacy from Ezra and Willow which I just don’t see happening.

I skim read to make it through to the end. Not a bad premise, but such a harrowing idea should have got under my skin, but I never felt anything for Ele.

To be honest, I didn’t even remember requesting OUTSIDE on Netgalley. When I saw it had been released a month ago, I wasn’t really excited because I hadn’t seen many reviews around the blogosphere. And that was a big mistake on my part. This book should be getting way more attention.

Let me tell you guys: OUTSIDE completely amazing and of the best books I’ve read lately. I think one of my favorite feelings is when I don’t expect anything from a book and the novel ends up becoming a huge success for me. And this is exactly what happened here. I devoured this short, compelling gem in a sitting, and I was completely captivated all the way through. I can’t recommend it enough.

The book reminded me a bit of another recent favorite (Resin), although they are quite different in many aspects. For example, in OUTSIDE, our main character, Ele, doesn’t really have a family that cares for her. We meet her when she’s been locked up for ages and she’s never seen the outside world. She has a few friends with her, but they are not really like her. I won’t say much about the plot, because I believe it’s best if you discover what happens as you read it, but it was nothing like I expected.

There was a small reveal that I didn’t think was at all surprising, maybe because I thought we were supposed to have known that from the beginning. However, there was another detail at the end that made me super emotional and I loved the conclusion to this dark, sad, and ultimately uplifting story.

My favorite aspect of OUTSIDE was Ele’s voice. It was so completely captivating, just like in RESIN. You know how much I love child narrators, and even if Ele was actually a teenager, her vocabulary and behavior weren’t exactly what you would consider “normal” for her age. I loved reading about her learning process and she became an instant favorite character. The same goes for the other two characters that appear in the story later on.

I would highly recommend OUTSIDE to everyone who loved RESIN, and for those who are looking for a short and stunning book. Let me clarify that I haven’t read THE ROOM, so I don’t really know if they are similar or not. But I’m sure this will be a great choice anyway.

A captivating and gripping read from beginning to end!
Although the book does resemble the movie and novel 'Room', it also is very unique in character, dialect and narrative.
Told from the perspective of a young girl who has been locked in a room her entire life, the story takes you on her journey and discovery of life on the outside and if it is in fact real or just a fairytale.
Recommended!

This book touches on quite a few sensitive issues which could well be triggers for some readers. All are treated very well and I didn’t feel that they were gratuatious but I did have to take a fair few deep breaths whilst reading.

This is nothing like anything else that I have ever read before. Especially as the reader needs to get used to the way that Ele see’s things. It’s very confusing at first – on purpose – as one is not always sure what is real and what Ele has invented.

The story is told from the perspective of Ele who knows nothing of the outside world other than what she has read – and these are mainly fairy tales.

A very moving book.

Great story. Essences of The Room mixed with fantasy and psychological nuances. Highly recommended.
I wrote a much longer review on my blog but it was a great read.

Thanks to Sarah Ann Jukes, Penguin Random House, UK Childrens, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read OUTSIDE.
This novel was reminiscent of The Room and very disturbing. For those readers who would prefer not to read about abuse this is not for you. It's written in first person and the dialect and way of speaking infiltrated my reading. I struggled with it, but that's not to say I don't think it's a worthy novel and certainly has a place in the genre.
Ele has lived 'inside' for many years with The Others and Him, and only knows about the 'outside' through fairy stories from the books she was allowed. She has no certainty that 'outside' exists but is determined to find it. Then she gets out!

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher for an honest review. The book is about a Ele who lives in a room 'inside' but wants to go outside. It is written from the Ele's view, she has never spoken to people so her language is limited. Ele wants to get to the outside. I read Room several years ago and it is similarly written although the stories are different. A great read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

I received An early copy in return for my independent honest review. Thank you
This book sounded very similar to the concept of The Room for a YA audience and so I was very excited to get to it.
Unfortunately for me I couldn't get into the story as I didn't feel close to the characters. The writing style is easy and flows well, however it didn't offer anything new in this genre for me.Sorry I didn't finish it, however if you are a Young Adult it's target audience then you may feel differently.

A very very dark and strange novel which is not meant as a criticism. I read this over the Christmas period (perhaps not the best timing) and finished it in one sitting from morning onwards. The story unfolded page by page and was captivating. The dad & son were a bit odd and I was worried that worse thing were going to happen however I was happy to read a happy ending.

I thought this book would be similar to Room but actually didn’t stand up as well. I think this was partly because the story is purposely confusing for the first half. I didn’t really engage with Ele until the second half of the book but by that time I had become frustrated at how quickly a child who had been kept locked up most of life had managed to assimilate herself into the outside world. A little too far fetched for me.