Five year old Jack lives with his Mother in a locked room, unaware there is a world outside. On his birthday he learns that much of what he has seen on TV is real – people, animals, grass, choices and experiences.

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2010, this is the story of Jack’s birth, his life and eventual freedom… or is it?

This kept me hooked for the major part of a five hour train journey. An intriguing, if creepy plot, slightly marred by some points being hammered home, when they might have been more powerful if handled with greater subtlety.

Verdict: I was also slightly irritated by Jack’s rather odd use of language – again I felt it was overdone. That said, reviews by major newspapers, writers and others from the “great and good” were resoundingly positive, so who am I to argue? ***