A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

[lightreads]

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Marvelous. The tree in Conor’s back yard comes walking to his window one night to tell him three tales. But Conor is not afraid, because there are worse things than monsters.

Ung, this was so good. Tiny, unsurprising. But genuinely amazing.

I’ve been reading a lot of books lately about – hmm. I was going to say ‘about bad things happening to people,’ but that doesn’t really cover it. The sort of books about bad things happening where it’s like when you’re standing waist deep in the ocean, and a big wave comes and slams you full-body down to the sand. Where you can see it coming and see it coming, but there’s nothing to do but take the hit. I’ve been reading books like that, about hurt like that. This book is like that.

Which will probably turn some people off, but it really shouldn’t.

The best thing about this book is not its richness, or its kindness, or even its cruelty. The best thing about this book, for me, is just how angry it is. I cannot remember the last time I read a book for kids that explicitly went out of its way to validate adolescent anger. Even destructive anger. Because sometimes it really is that bad, and sometimes there’s nothing to do but rage. And this book says that’s okay, that how you feel is not wrong, even when it’s violent or scary. And I think that’s pretty amazing.




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Comments

[buymeaclue]

...wow, that sounds really interesting. Thanks!

[brigid]

This is such a great book, and I think a big part of that is because it's HONEST about grief.

I'm 33 and when I was in 5th grade through high school there was this trend for books where HORRIBLE SHIT HAPPENED ALL THE TIME. So the protag was an orphan and had cancer and someone was stalking her and her best friend was raped by a teacher, etc. Just horribleness piled on top of horribleness. It was supposed to be "gritty" and "realistic" or something, and they were called 'problem novels' (although apparently that term is now used for a different kind of book). They were really emotionally manipulative, kind of grief porn.

This book is SO not that.

It's raw and honest and cathartic. It's a hard read (emotionally), but very worth it.

[lightreads]

Yes a million to all of that.