Beware there will be spoilers!
Author: Patrick Ness
Published: 5th May 2011
Publishers: Walker books
My rating: 5/5
I have seen A Monster Calls many times on multiple bookshelves in book shops, but for some reason I never picked it up. I think the title kinda scared me a bit, as I first saw the graphic novel and the imagines to accompany the story are quite dark, so as an eleven year old this really freaked me out. But now I would recommend buying and reading either the graphic novel or the normal novel.
What I loved so much about this book was the fact that it was so relatable, a young boy who is struggling to come to terms with the truth and reality, in which his triggered nightmares from this awaiting reality cause him depression and an unhealthy way of living.
"I have come to get you, Conor O'Malley...." - This part scared me quite a bit, I was almost thinking, I've picked up a horror book for children. But when I turned the page I started to laugh, because the monster just grabs Conor and starts swaying him around his room, and the visualisation of his massive hand waving this teenage boy around is hilarious. Okay back to the serious stuff. - The monster at first is described in a very raw and ugly image, however as you progress through the book, you forget about the monsters ugliness and focus on what he's trying to tell us. Its that hidden message that Ness is trying to express, the one parents told you as children, 'Never judge a book buy its cover' or 'Its the truth and beauty which lie underneath'. There are a lot of hidden morals within this book. I also have a theory that perhaps Ness drew inspiration from christianity and the bible, as the monster tells Conor that he wasn't just a yew tree and could appear in many forms, so this reminded me of the story of Moses, how God appeared to Moses in the for of a burning bush to give him the strength and courage to return to Egypt. This is similar to the monsters presents to Conor he is there to help him realise and cope with his suffering. The monster is also like a paternal figure, Conor has no parental figure for quite some time, and the monster stands as a conscience and guide. The three stories that the monster tells Conor are quite similar to the parables that Jesus told his decibels and followers, they all had a messages and moral guidance.
"I did not come to heal her, the monster said. I came to heal you." - This is my favourite line of the book. It expresses that there are different types of pain, the physical and mental kind. What is also quite sad and also very true is the fact that Conor's mothers cancer is in the background of the story and it more focuses on the pain that Conor is experiencing, he is at the center of the book. The monster didn't come walking for his mother but for him, to heal Conor. It shows that once a loved on is dead or is dying, it isn't he/she who will be left in tatters, but their family. This is why the monster came walking for Conor he healed his heart so he could face with letting his mother go.
I think that as a children's book Patrick Ness has done a fabulous job in creating a moral to the story, teaching children about life and about death, and that not everything lives forever. I don't think this novel is limited to just children and young adults, I read this book in two days and I'm going to be eighteen soon. This book really touched my heart and since I read a lot their aren't many books that can touch my heart and make me cry.
I thoroughly recommend this book, however there is also a film version of the novel, that came out on the 1st January 2017.
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