This is one of those books. Welcome to the new Penny Review, presenting:
Image courtesy of http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61vTxJTnOsL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
A boy struggling to deal with his mother's illness and with life continuing on around it. A monster who "comes walking" at the beginning of a pivotal time. A tailspin of emotional chaos and nightmares at war with reality. This is "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness, illustrated by the incredibly talented Jim Kay.
Who's the Hero: Conor - a young school boy in the U.K. whose life and emotions have been thrown into turmoil by his mother's battle with cancer, leaving him isolated and struggling in the face of it all.
What's the Story: One night at just past midnight, after an un-described nightmare that has apparently been plaguing him for some time, Conor is visited by a monster that seems to be the yew tree which normally resides by the church graveyard near Conor's house. It quickly becomes apparent that, while outwardly menacing, the monster is there for more than typically monstrous things: rather than harm Conor, it wants to talk to him; it wants to tell him three tales and at the end, it says, Conor will tell the fourth tale. True to its word, the monster visits Conor again and again, telling him stories that never seem to end as they should, where those who seemed good became villains in the course of their actions, and those who seemed villainous in turn were the more honourable and/or right. As the stories progress, so does Conor's mother's cancer, appearing to be the worst it's ever been and making Conor steadily more desperate and angry. And as Conor's life and well-being get more and more unstable, the monster--claiming to be a tree of healing even as it encourages destruction of a sort--pushes all the harder towards that fourth tale, insisting that there is a truth that Conor holds which he must speak, and that it is that truth that brought the monster walking and that will decide how everything with Conor's mother will play out.
How's the Aftertaste: As I said before even the beginning of the review (heh, guess I spoiled it a bit there - sort of jumped right to the punchline, didn't I!), this book was one of those rare few that surprised me. At the beginning, I didn't think much of it, aside from instantly falling in love with the artist's style in his illustrations. But gradually I found myself taken in by Conor's struggle (certainly in part because I can unfortunately relate to it, through the illness of several close family members), and especially by the monster's presence. I don't want to spoil anything for those who might be interested in reading it, but their interactions and the build-up to the climax... and especially the climax ultimately took my breath away. And broke my heart a bit, but in a useful and moving way. The book addresses suffering and coping in a way that I haven't really seen anywhere else. Don't get me wrong, the text wasn't perfect (though the illustrations certainly were), but it hit its mark where it really counted.
So the Verdict Is...
~I would name my next goldfish "Conor". Or "Monster"... yep, definitely "Monster".~
Aside from the monster and that climax, the illustrations definitely were a big part of it being four pennies instead of three; seriously, if you're going to read this book, don't read the novel version - get the above-pictured illustrated edition (it takes it from a story, and makes it into an experience).
As always, thanks for reading! And see you next time :) stay tuned for next week - maybe time for a murder-mystery or a comedy or something... we shall see. And don't forget, if there's a book you'd like to see me review, let me know in the comments. Cheers!
~\\//~
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