Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Title: A Monster Calls
Author: Patrick Ness, an original idea by Siobhan Dowd
Edition: Walker Book, 2012

Rating: ★★★★★

Review

First things first, this is a children's book, recommended to me by my Writing for Young People module tutor. I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did; that feeling comes with the territory of reading lists and the like. But I really think it's impossible to not like this book. 

It was so beautifully written, it was as though every single word had been perfectly and carefully chosen. If it hadn't been a library copy I would have been underlining almost all of it. The story was so touching and heartbreaking made even more so by Patrick Ness' writing, as well as the story behind the book and how it came to be. 

Siobhan Dowd was a prize-winning author of four books but she died, at 47, before the last two were published. The idea for A Monster Calls was Dowd's but, tragically, she never got to write it. Ness took the idea and ran with it, making it a tribute to Dowd and her writing. 

The edition I had was illustrated by Jim Kay, and his work brings the book to a whole new level. The black and white colours of his drawings add to the darkness, the tragedy, the fear, the sadness, the illness which make up the themes of the book. 

Because it's a children's book, I also have to mention how important the messages it conveys were. Death of a family member, especially a parent, is a scary issue, one that most children won't ever think about unless it happens. The book handled this delicately, leaving its readers with a little bit of hope.

I've given it five stars because the words were so well put together, every single one felt important, and the edition I had was such a beautiful thing to read. No matter what you normally read, go pick this up, I promise you won't regret it. 

Favourite Quote

"The rest of the tree gathered itself into a spine and then a torso, the thin, needle-like leaves weaving together to make a green, furry skin that moved and breathed as if there were muscles and lungs underneath."