Title: A
Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 206 (paperback)
Publication Date: March 12th, 2013
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Want it? BookDepository
Summary: “At
seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster
outside his bedroom window. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting--
he's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he's had nearly
every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his
backyard is different. It's ancient. And wild. And it wants something from
Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth”.
A Monster Calls follows the story about Conor, a 13 year-old
boy who is trying to come to terms with her mother’s illness. One night a
monster calls to him, demanding something from Conor: the truth. This story is
extraordinary, is not just about grief and loss; with a beautiful and poetical
writing Patrick Ness crafts this tale about coming to terms with and accepting
the aforementioned grief and loss.
Everything
about A Monster Calls is deeply
captivating. I started it last night and only read 23 pages because I was tired
and I wanted to be fully awake to appreciate the story. So this morning I
picked it up again and didn’t put it down until I turned the very last page and
not because I didn’t have stuff to do – I did actually – but I just couldn’t.
The story gripped me and I couldn’t let go. It’s also true that the book is not
a big one but with its mere 200 pages manages to get into the reader’s heart
and then, shatters it to pieces, both in a good and a bad way. I was a complete
wreck after finishing it. I didn’t even notice I was crying while reading
after, well, my vision started to get blurry. And after reading the last
sentence I just stood there, with the book in my hands, trying to process the
beautiful story I’d just finished. And I reread the last few pages over and
over again until my mum found me, crying, and by that I mean a really bad case
of ugly sobbing, and I’m not embarrassed to say – it’s not the first time she
has found me like that, really. So, do you want a piece of advice? Get Kleenex first
and don’t read it in public, especially if you are a crier like me. And we need
to speak about the illustrations as well because they are a huge part of the
reading experience. They basically help bring the story to life and add a
disturbing yet fascinating aspect to the whole plot.
Regarding
the characters, it was very easy to just feel for them. Conor was a brave kid
with such responsibility over his shoulders that it was impossible not to like
him. His mother was a true fighter and his grandmother, though she may seem
cold and distant was just trying to stay strong for all of them. And the
monster? He was powerful and scary but kind and loving at the same time. A true
gem of a character, as well as the others.
I can’t say
anything bad about this because there isn’t. A Monster Calls is the first book I’ve read by Patrick Ness but it
won’t be the last one. The execution of this story was brilliantly done and I’m
pretty sure I’ll be thinking about it for days. The last thing I want to say?
Do yourself a favour: READ IT, YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED.
My Rating:
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