A Monster Calls

Author: Patrick Ness

Genre: Fantasy; Young Adult

Rating:

N.G.Rainwater - 9.5/10

S.R.Scribbles - 8.5/10

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The book opens with a day in the life of our protagonist, Connor, an extraordinary yet overburdened child whose mother is very ill. The title starts to make sense when that very night, Connor receives a visit from a monster.

The narration is simple yet special because it felt like the voice of a child who has been forced to grow up too fast (as we can clearly tell from the first few chapters of Connor’s life). We felt like this book is definitely suitable for all ages, simply because it is very easy to understand. For a young reader, taking this book at face value would already be engaging because it is a great story. For more seasoned readers however, the book contains so many hidden gems. Each person will come out of this book with a different message that resonated with them, making it truly a unique experience for every reader.

From the get-go we could tell that this was going to be a story about grief and loss, but it was so much more than that. Grief and loss are connected to a whole slew of other concepts, leading to the many themes discussed in the book, such as healing, facing hard truths and persecutory guilt. These were complex but very sensitively woven into the story, written in a way that was comprehensible yet deeply impactful to us as readers.

“I know everything you need to tell me without you having to say it out loud.”

The monster was a great vessel to convey the concepts the book brought up. From a literary view, it spices up the story with fantastical elements. At the same time, it also served as a wise entity that was able to put the emotions and thoughts of a little boy into words; morals and lessons that we can all understand.

“You do not write your life with words...You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.”

Moreover, we felt that the choice of narrator worked to emphasize how impressionable yet remarkable the adolescence stage is. Children need the adequate support and attention from someone who can help them navigate the earlier stages of life, such as the monster who acted as the guide for Connor. Furthermore, the things children have to say deserve to be heard and seen. Even though their words are easily disregarded, the story outlined how children’s feelings and thoughts are no less important than an adult’s.

“Don't think you haven't lived long enough to have a story to tell.”

Reviewed by: N.G.Rainwater (2nd Reading); S.R.Scribbles (1st Reading)