A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is a novel inspired by Siobhan Dowd who unfortunately passed away before her original idea could come to fruition. This story follows Conor as he faces the monster that shows up at his house in the night. This monster doesn’t want to harm Conor physically. This monster isn’t the one from his nightmares, the one that has plagued him every night since his mother started her treatments.
This monster is something different. This monster wants the most dangerous thing of all:
The truth.
My Thoughts
This book had been on my list for a really long time before I eventually bought it. The concept of a boy facing his demons through the form of a large monster kind of excited me. I love books filled with beautiful illustrations and a meaningful plot, so this was definitely right up my alley. This book wasn’t terribly long, so I’m not going to go into deep detail for this review.
“You do not write your life with words…You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.”
This book works for both children and adults. I definitely felt that I was reading a book designed for a younger audience, but the message seems to be meant for a slightly older audience. This book reads relatively easily and it is short. I really liked the length, as it allowed me to finish it in a sitting and it didn’t drag at all. The idea of using the literal form of a monster to represent Conor’s internal struggles was very interesting.
“Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary. And your mind will punish you for believing both.”
The edition I have of the book has absolutely beautiful illustrations throughout. These drawings help aid in capturing what Conor went through and helped me visualise the monster in the book. If you have the choice between the regular version of the book and the illustrated edition, I highly encourage you to choose the latter.
The themes in this book brought out some of my saddest memories while I read it. It makes you think of those you’ve lost and those that you never want to lose. This book is very relatable for those of us who have experienced and had a hard time accepting tremendous grief. It’s an interesting interpretation of human relationships and family ties.
“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”
I would highly recommend this book to most people who have had hard times in their lives and don’t mind revisiting those moments. The illustrated version is absolutely gorgeous and the story itself is well-written and thought-out. I love the idea of making Conor’s demons into a literal monster that forces him to face the truth. This story was absolutely stunning.
Sink into the Ink 