Picasilly

A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness, is a children’s book that deals with some pretty heavy subject matter.  The protagonist, Conor O’Malley, is coping with his mother’s cancer, and the treatment  he receives at school because of it.  It marks him as different to the kids in his class, who bully and ostracize him, and to the teachers, who give him special treatment and make allowances because of what he is going through outside of school.  In addition to the cancer and bullying, he is also dealing with his parents’ divorce and feeling abandoned by his father’s remarriage and move out of the country.

In the midst of all this, and at the point when his mother’s illness takes a turn for the worse, he is visited in the night by a giant yew tree which has transformed into a monster.  The monster tells him three parables, with the agreement that Conor will tell him something in return: the truth.  The tales the monster tells are not black and white.  There are no heroes, no good (or truly bad) guys, no happy endings.  They occupy a grey space, are conflicted, confusing, and offer Conor no clear cut answers or advice.  They simply portray the human condition in all its ambiguity and complication.

Through the monster’s visits and the stories he tells, Conor is finally able to come to terms with his mother’s cancer and to admit his true feelings.  I won’t give away the ending, or what his truth is, because it’s worth reading yourself to find out.  There are certain authors who are so masterful at their craft, that you know from the first sentence the story will not disappoint, and Patrick Ness is one of those authors.  His words, and the illustrations by Jim Kay that accompany them, are raw, powerful, honest, and heart-breaking.  It is a children’s book that should not be missed, regardless of your age.

I give it 5 monsters out of 5.

Tags: cancer, children's novel, death, fear, Illustrated novel, truth