The Room is the second novel by Hubert Selby, Jr.

Hubert Selby, Jr.

Hubert "Cubby" Selby, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His best-known novels are Last Exit to Brooklyn and Requiem for a Dream . Both novels were later adapted into films within his lifetime....

, first published in 1971.

Plot

The novel centers on a nameless petty criminal locked in a remand cell, and explores his feelings of impotence, hatred and rage, and fantasies of revenge.

Reception

Selby described the critical reception of the book as "the greatest reviews I've ever read in my life", although in reality it was not well-received. The novel was regarded by Selby as the most disturbing book ever written, and Selby stated that he himself was unable to read it again for 20 years. At least one reviewer has expressed similar feelings, with claims that reading the novel made them physically sick. It has been described as "a terrifying journey into the darkest corners of the psyche."

In popular culture

A section of The Room is used in Richard Linklater

Richard Linklater

-Early life:Linklater was born in Houston, Texas. He studied at Sam Houston State University and left midway through his stint in college to work on an off-shore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. While working on the rig he read a lot of literature, but on land he developed a love of film through...

's Waking Life

Waking Life

Waking Life is an American animated film , directed by Richard Linklater and released in 2001. The entire film was shot using digital video and then a team of artists using computers drew stylized lines and colors over each frame.The film focuses on the nature of dreams, consciousness, and...

, where a red-faced man in a jail cell describes in vivid detail the abuse he intends to inflict once he is released.