A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

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Published: September 2011
# of Pages: 216
Source: Library Copy

The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

This book...oh my goodness...this book! I wish I could even find the words to describe how amazing this book was. Let me start off by saying that there are two specific elements that make this book amazing: the writing and the way that Ness handles the entire concept of death and grieving. I've read a lot of books that contained a character or characters dying or in risk of dying; however, none of them have handled it with the grace that is found within this book. 

What's ironic about writing this review is that I don't want to say much for the simple fact that experiencing this book without any prior knowledge makes it that much more amazing. I knew prior to reading it that people found it amazing in many different ways, but I didn't know why. Going through this book and understanding it's uniqueness and beauty for myself made it a breath taking experience. 

I've never been an individual that understands or knows how to handle the concept of grief. I haven't lost anyone close to me yet, but I know just like everyone else that my time to experience that magnitude of grief is coming soon. What Ness conveyed through Conor's experiences is that when tragedy comes it's okay to be angry. I think a lot of times we, as human beings, think that when tragedy occurs we must be sad; however, Ness allows the reader to understand that anger is understandable; it's rational. In fact, I believe that he attempts to tell us that anger is a part of the process of grieving. Most of all, Conor learns that it's okay go through all of these emotions and thoughts no matter how difficult or bad they may seem. 

In part of the novel, the monster discusses the dichotomy of thoughts in a human being (this was my favorite part of the novel). He states that humans often have simultaneous thoughts and feelings that are relatively conflicting. Although we may believe that we are bad individuals for having bad thoughts or wishes, the monster makes it clear that it is not our thoughts that define us, but our actions. It's all about what we decided to act on which makes the human mind so complex. I thought that this small bit of information was so beautifully written and so true. 

Overall, I thought that this was a phenomenal book and I completely and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It is one of the first books that has received a 5 star rating from me this year and I don't give those out too willingly. I don't read many books that bring tears to my eyes, but this book (I was sobbing like a baby) was a completely different story. If you are looking for an emotional read, but also one that is well-written then I would definitely recommend this book! 

P.S. I will be watching the movie soon! : )