A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

I finished reading this little gem a few weeks ago, but haven't had the time to sit and write a review until now. Usually, this is a bad thing, because the longer I wait before sitting down to record my thoughts on a book, the more details start to slip away. I don't have that problems with A Monster Calls, however, because this novel is emotionally striking and deeply moving. This is most definitely one of the best books I've read so far this year.

A Monster Calls is about a young boy named Conor, who lives alone with his mother in a quiet English town. His mother is slowly dying from cancer, and while Conor pretends like everything is going fine with her treatments, he knows the truth deep inside. He is struggling with his emotions and suffocating under the immense sadness of everything when he is visited by a monster. The monster is ancient, tree-like, and terrifying. Conor isn't afraid though, because he has worse things in his life to be afraid of.

Over the course of the novel, the monster tells Conor three stories, and then asks for Conor to tell him one in return. The monster's stories are confusing--they don't contain a clear hero or villain and their resolutions are vague. Sometimes good things happen to bad characters, and sometimes it's the other way around. When it's Conor's turn to tell his story, he realizes that he must face a secret he's been hiding in his heart so that he can begin to heal.

My theme for September is scary books, and A Monster Calls is certainly scary, but not in the traditional way. This novel deals with what we are all truly scared of deep inside - illness, loss and pain so heavy that we can't bear it. Secrets, feelings we might be ashamed of, and the lies we tell ourselves when the going gets rough. This novel was written so beautifully and truthfully that it felt like a weight was sitting on my chest while I was reading it. We will all go through what Conor is going though at one time or another in our lives, and this story was a peek into the emotional turmoil that surrounds the loss of someone you love.

The monster and his confusing stories were a perfect mirror for real life. We all want things in our lives to be clearly defined. We want heroes and villains, truth and lies, and good things and bad things to all neatly present themselves for us, so we know what choices to make and which directions to go in. But nothing is so clearly defined. We all contain shades of gray that make us complicated. Like Conor's dad, who divorced his mother and moved away, but does the best he can for his son, or his grandmother, who is distant and strict, but loves Conor fiercely, none of us are all one thing or another. Death and illness are messy, terrible things. They bring out a side of us that we don't often acknowledge. This novel explores that idea unflinchingly, and in so doing, worms its way into your heart.

The illustrations that accompany this text are phenomenal. They are dark and creepy, and perfectly match the tone of the story. It was really cool to read a complex young adult novel with glossy pages and lots of pictures. I found myself very glad that I owned a physical copy of this book instead of the Kindle version. This one deserves the shelf space.

This is one of those books that sticks with you for a long time. I have a soft spot for books that I think are true. This one is. I'm so glad that I found it. A Monster Calls is most definitely a new favorite for me.