When Caroline Davison and Kenny Zhou find themselves as roommates in a doorless white room, they quickly realize they have died. But they can still observe and even sometimes influence events in the living world—thanks to a high-definition TV.
When Caroline Davison and Kenny Zhou find themselves as roommates in a doorless white room, they quickly realize they have died. But they can still observe and even sometimes influence events in the living world—thanks to a high-definition TV.
Caroline Davison was popular. She played on the volleyball team, dated a hockey star and her mom was the head of the PTO.
Kenny Zhou was not popular. He was on the Science Olympiad team, worked at his parents’ Chinese restaurant and had only a couple close friends.
Though Davison and Zhou attended the same high school, they never really knew each other … until they died.
Now, they’re stuck with each other in a room that seems to defy scientific and religious reasoning.
The large TV broadcasts events from the world they just left. It shows them the lives of those left behind: Kenny’s parents; Caroline’s parents and brother; Caroline’s boyfriend, Dom; and Kenny’s friends Iris and Jianyu.
But what they see isn’t all that pretty.
Back on Earth, Dom and Iris are bearing each other’s grief. The Zhous’ restaurant is failing. Caroline’s parents are preparing their court case against the drunk driver that killed their daughter.
But Kenny and Caroline don’t just look on helplessly. They can still, somehow, influence the living world.
The two dead teens quickly make a good team, learning the rules of the room (aided by notes falling from midair), the ways in which they can interact with the human world (three “conduits” each) and how their lives, and deaths, may have been connected.
Caroline’s family is religious. From the get-go, she attributes the room to God—but she doesn’t believe it’s the afterlife, because the Bible doesn’t say anything about magic television sets. At first, she believes that this room represents a sort of holding room: She wasn’t meant to die, she believes, and once she and Kenny solve the problems of their friends and family, they will be sent back.
Iris, Kenny’s friend, is Catholic. Before Kenny’s death, she would invite him to Christmas Mass. The TV gives us a glimpse of Iris in the church praying for God’s grace for Kenny that she might see him again. Iris also prays for guidance for her Earthly issues.
Kenny (who isn’t all that religious) observes this and knows that he did receive grace—either by God or by Iris herself—because he knows the room isn’t hell. Kenny shares that he envies Iris’s faith because it gives her comfort in the future.
Some comments reference God, even at times the room itself might be divine. (“Turns out God is a hipster,” “I think God just apologized to you,” “Our landlord who is maybe God,” etc.)
The room encourages Kenny to have faith without a sign, saying, “There isn’t often a burning bush.”
Kenny and Caroline discuss free will versus predestination. They agree that even if their lives were predestined, they wanted to be a part of the effort.
“Amazing Grace” plays at Kenny’s funeral.
Kenny and his parents are not religious, and Kenny attributes most everything to science. He even tries to explain the room’s existence through Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.
But the room insists Kenny must have faith if he wishes for things divine. We see Kenny put his faith in science, Iris and ultimately in the existence of unexplainable miracles.
The two believe they are not in hell because they are good people. And when the room lets them play Mario Kart, they know they’re in a better sort of afterlife: Hell, after all, would not have Mario Kart.
The room has many rules. Kenny and Caroline exist outside of time, do not age and do not need to eat. Anything they think or ask for (other than any time-keeping devices) appears. In addition to viewing their loved ones they left on Earth, they have three chances each to communicate with the “real” world, called conduits.
One of the conduits is through a medium that Kenny’s mom visits. Kenny feeds the medium information through computer prompts (thanks to a computer that appears), which the medium then passes onto his mother. Mrs. Zhou wants Kenny’s dad to experience and believe in this mystical connection as well.
When their “work” is over, Kenny and Caroline witness everything in the room disappear, replaced by a single door. This is our only glimpse of “what comes next.”
Kenny’s parents are selfless, sacrificing their own dreams to save money for Kenny’s college.
While they have arguments over what to do with their financially failing restaurant after their son’s death, their marriage remains strong.
Caroline’s mom confident and self-assured, and she wants to do right by her daughter. Her father, meanwhile, is broken by grief but ultimately recognizes and remembers Caroline’s true character—and that character encourages him to forgive the driver that killed Caroline. This becomes a source of conflict between him and his wife, and we see him taking off his wedding ring after the court hearing.
We also meet the mother of Dom (Caroline’s boyfriend). Dom’s mom is not very involved in his life, often shutting herself in her room, grieving the loss of her husband, who committed suicide. We find out that Dom reminds her of her late husband, which is why she distanced herself so much. The two begin a better relationship by the end of the book.
And finally, what about the room itself? The room that guides these two souls through short messages on white paper? Is it God? The room certainly feels omniscient. Truth be told, we never find out the true nature of this divine-ish character. His guiding authority throughout is complex and often paradoxical, acting both callous and kind, firm and apologetic, sardonic and sincere.
We read the s-word 13 times, the f-word three times, and “h—” around seven times (plus more in reference to the place). We also read “d–k,” “p—y,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “p-ssed” and “a–” all at least once.
God’s name is abused some 20 times, once with the word “d—n,” and we hear Christ’s name as an exclamation. Notably, none of these misuses are by the divine-ish room.
We learn of two characters’ suicides. The reasons behind suicide are discussed in length, and it seems one conclusion suggests that the suicide victim didn’t have a choice: You can’t reason your way out of reasonless despair. On the other side of the argument, we hear that suicide is a selfish choice and one that arrogantly flies in the face of God’s will.
We learn that Caroline died in a car accident, and she is plagued with memories of her death in some detail (written to be more traumatic than gruesome).
Dom gets into a fistfight with another character.
When she first arrives in the room, Caroline says it is like an acid trip, though quickly clarifies she’s not “in that crowd.”
Caroline’s dad gets drunk on Bud Light while grieving his daughter. Kenny’s mom also drinks, grieving her son.
We hear about teens drinking at parties and sneaking alcohol away from their parents. Adults drink at a dinner party.
The driver that killed Caroline had been drinking but was below the legal limit, according to the breathalyzer.
Caroline and Dom were dating before Caroline’s death. We learn that they kissed. The core of their relationship, however, seems to be mutual love and respect.
Kenny and Caroline get a little bit touchy-feely, Caroline resting her head on Kenny’s shoulder and the two sharing an embrace. But their relationship doesn’t go beyond a friendship.
High school couples are said to be flirting, kissing, and groping one another.
Think about how each character processes grief differently. How, like Iris, can we pray for comfort and wisdom in our grief instead of spiraling into dark thoughts?
What does the Bible teach about what happens when we die? How can we ask God for the faith to believe that?
There are many discussions about what is “right” and what people “deserve.” What do we deserve? By God’s grace and bowing to his will, what are we promised?
The room said you need faith to wish for things divine. Explore the concept and importance of faith in your own life that may result in those small-seeming, messy and imperfect miracles.
This book makes the reader think. It explores the nature of grief, it probes at the need for faith (though faith in what is not specifically defined) and it attempts to capture the imperfectness that comes with trying to do what’s “right.”
This book is not for everyone. With its mature and dense thematic material alongside a fair bit of language, this may not be a great read. For an older audience that can navigate the book’s issues, however, the book can be faith-affirming.
No, heaven is not a white room with high vaulted ceilings, but the importance of faith is demonstrated well.
And no, the dead are not communicating with us on FM radios, but miracles through the power of God happen every day, and comfort and wise discernment in times of grief are certainly two of those miracles.
While author Jennifer Yu may not have fully intended these takeaways, themes of death, forgiveness, unity and even a predestination/free-will discussion would prompt many readers to think deeper about faith.
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
Caleb Gottry is the Plugged In intern for Summer 2024. Caleb studies journalism with a minor in music at Texas Christian University, where he will be a junior in the fall. He loves playing with words, listening to and making music, and spending any spare time with friends or family.
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