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A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd
The Blurb On The Back:
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming …
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.
It’s seven minutes past midnight when Conor is visited by a monster. Old and powerful, it calls itself Herne and promises to tell Conor three stories. Once the third story is told, he wants Conor to tell him a story, a story that’s the truth.
Conor isn’t afraid of the monster. He’s seen far worse monsters in his nightmares and besides, he’s got enough to worry about with his mum having to go back into hospital for more treatment for her illness, leaving Conor with the grandmother he dislikes.
But the monster comes back the next night at seven minutes past midnight and he tells Conor his first story. Soon Conor discovers that stories aren’t nice, safe things – they have a wild power of their own and the lessons they teach can be hard. And as the monster tells his stories, Conor realises that he’s going to have to tell the truth that he doesn’t want to face.
Based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd, Patrick Ness has crafted a powerfully moving story about grief and letting go in what is, for me, one of the best books of 2011.
Conor is a heart-breaking character. 13 years old, he’s had to cope with his mother’s cancer, the treatment for which has left her so weak that he cooks for and look after both of them. Bright and articulate, he’s isolated at school because, his friend Lily told everyone about his home situation and he makes no effort to stand up for himself when Harry and his cronies Anton and Sully bully him. The monster’s stories teach him hard and uncomfortable lessons, but that’s nothing compared to the lesson that he has to learn about itself. What works so well is the way Ness doesn’t flinch from the darkness, there is no sugar-coating here, no easy answers.
The wonderful mix between magic and realism is made even better by the twisted and gorgeous illustrations by Jim Kay and I’d recommend investing in the hardback copy of this book to get the most out of those illustrations.
All in all, this book was wonderfully plotted, beautifully told and completely moving – to the extent that I was quite teary at the end. It’s one of the best books of 2011 and I’d be amazed if it didn’t pick up almost every award going as it’s a fitting tribute to Siobhan Dowd.
The Verdict:
Taking an idea by Siobhan Dowd, Patrick Ness has crafted a dark and moving story that’s about stories and the power of truth. This is one of those rare cases where I’d recommend buying the hardback rather than waiting for the paperback because you’ll get the most out of the beautiful and twisted illustrations by Jim Kay. All in all, I think Ness has created a fitting tribute to Siobhan Dowd and this is one of the best books of 2011.
The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming …
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth.
It’s seven minutes past midnight when Conor is visited by a monster. Old and powerful, it calls itself Herne and promises to tell Conor three stories. Once the third story is told, he wants Conor to tell him a story, a story that’s the truth.
Conor isn’t afraid of the monster. He’s seen far worse monsters in his nightmares and besides, he’s got enough to worry about with his mum having to go back into hospital for more treatment for her illness, leaving Conor with the grandmother he dislikes.
But the monster comes back the next night at seven minutes past midnight and he tells Conor his first story. Soon Conor discovers that stories aren’t nice, safe things – they have a wild power of their own and the lessons they teach can be hard. And as the monster tells his stories, Conor realises that he’s going to have to tell the truth that he doesn’t want to face.
Based on an idea by Siobhan Dowd, Patrick Ness has crafted a powerfully moving story about grief and letting go in what is, for me, one of the best books of 2011.
Conor is a heart-breaking character. 13 years old, he’s had to cope with his mother’s cancer, the treatment for which has left her so weak that he cooks for and look after both of them. Bright and articulate, he’s isolated at school because, his friend Lily told everyone about his home situation and he makes no effort to stand up for himself when Harry and his cronies Anton and Sully bully him. The monster’s stories teach him hard and uncomfortable lessons, but that’s nothing compared to the lesson that he has to learn about itself. What works so well is the way Ness doesn’t flinch from the darkness, there is no sugar-coating here, no easy answers.
The wonderful mix between magic and realism is made even better by the twisted and gorgeous illustrations by Jim Kay and I’d recommend investing in the hardback copy of this book to get the most out of those illustrations.
All in all, this book was wonderfully plotted, beautifully told and completely moving – to the extent that I was quite teary at the end. It’s one of the best books of 2011 and I’d be amazed if it didn’t pick up almost every award going as it’s a fitting tribute to Siobhan Dowd.
The Verdict:
Taking an idea by Siobhan Dowd, Patrick Ness has crafted a dark and moving story that’s about stories and the power of truth. This is one of those rare cases where I’d recommend buying the hardback rather than waiting for the paperback because you’ll get the most out of the beautiful and twisted illustrations by Jim Kay. All in all, I think Ness has created a fitting tribute to Siobhan Dowd and this is one of the best books of 2011.