Then there is the opening: "The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do." Right away, I'm invested. The story takes off from there as a boy, whose home life is sad and on the brink of catastrophe, discovers his particular monster leaves calling cards and gets him in trouble.
The black-and-white illustrations by Jim Kay are gorgeous and disturbingly frightful. And, for me, they have the added bonus of being a form of the Green Man, a mythical being that fascinates me. (Snippet: "Every time the monster moved,Conor could hear the creak of wood, groaning and yawning...")
I might classify this as magical realism since the story is set in contemporary times and is about cancer, loss and love, not mythic realms.
The monster tells Conor stories, but they have endings he doesn't expect or like. The strongest element of this tale is the ways we hide the truth from ourselves, how we let our minds trick us, how we refuse to see, and what it costs to admit the truth when it is terrible and leaves us gutted. That is what the monster has come to help Conor face.
The final pages made me cry. And cry some more.
18 comments:
Thanks so much for reviewing this. I have been interested but haven't had a chance to read it.
Sounds like I better get some tissues!
This sounds intense...and wonderful.
Tricia...hope your weekend goes OK. Thinking of you as you make your way through this "first."
Wow. Sounds so powerful. I'd better not read it at night or I'll never sleep!
Patrick Ness? I loved his Chaos Walking Trilogy--I'll have to check out this book!
Wow, what an interesting metaphor about the baton, but totally apt.
This seems like one that would keep me up at night, listening to the house creak!
Tere: Yes, I didn't realize what it was going to be about, and it really hit me hard. So worth reading.
Liza: Intense is a good description, but also haunting.
Thanks for thinking of me. I'm doing pretty well, thank you.
Jemi: Yeah, I had to think about when I wanted to read, knowing it was getting scary and sad.
Eagle: He is such an amazing writer. I think you will find this riveting.
Stephanie: It is a great metaphor for what he undertook. I would find it daunting to step into another writer's shoes for a story of this magnitude.
Sounds wonderful. Thanks
What a great review. You've made me want to read it, as a good reviewer should. There are many different kinds of monsters.
Thanks, Donna.
Yvonne: wow, that comment makes me feel great. I'm glad you want to read it.
Hmmm. I'm not a fan of books half-written by one author and finished by another (like "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," or Sebastian Faulks trying to imitate Ian Fleming!) but I must say that your review has convinced me to give this one a try. I hope it's available in eBook, will pop over to Amazon to search.
Judy, South Africa
Judy: It wasn't half-written. Rather, there was a framework of concept and characters. As far as I can tell, Ness wrote his own story. I hope you find it and like it.
Wow, this sounds amazing and intense. Thank you, thank you--I had not heard about this one and now I definitely want to read it.
Cynthia: Intense, yes, and I do hope you enjoy it!
Wow, just your review alone almost made me cry. It sounds like you were really affected by this book. I'm definitely going to check it out - thanks for posting about it.
Hope all is well in your world.
Oh, wow. That is a Significant first line. I love it! Thanks for the review!
I've heard so many good things about this book. The story behind completing the story is very moving.
Phoenix: I do hope you find it moving, too. Thank you so much.
Faith: I know! That line is simple but really says a lot.
Sarah: I didn't know going in what to expect and was bowled over.
I thought the writing was brilliant in this story. I didn't quite think it was as sad as everyone said, but it was very touching! Great story.
Post a Comment