(Source: TowerBabel, Illustration by Jim Kay)
I was browsing the internet in search of a book when I ran into The New York Times review of A Monster Calls. The writer recalls her time with one of the authors, Siobhan Dowd, whom she was was interning for in 1997. Unfortunately, Dowd passed away from breast cancer in 2007 before she could write the novel.
After Dowds passing, Patrick Ness was contacted and asked to consider finishing the novel. In an interview with Dymocks Booklovers, Ness explains why he took on the project: “There was such vividity and such power in her ideas, that I started getting ideas for how the story might go on almost without being able to help it.”
Needless to say, I had to give the novel a go.
“Who am I?’ the monster repeated, still roaring. ‘I am the spine that the mountains hang upon! I am the tears that the rivers cry! I am the lungs that breathe the wind! I am the wolf that kills the stag, the hawk that kills the mouse, the spider that kills the fly! I am the stag, the mouse and the fly that are eaten! I am the snake of the world devouring its tail! I am everything untamed and untameable!’ It brought Conor up close to its eye. ‘I am this wild earth, come for you, Conor O’Malley.”
“You look like a tree,” Conor said.
What You Need to Know
(Source: PatrickNess, Illustration by Jim Kay)
Rating: *****
Genre: Contemporary, Fantasy
Age Group: 12+
Length: 216 pages
According to an article on ComingSoon, production has now started on the film adaptation of A Monster Calls. The cast includes Liam Neeson, Lewis Macdougall, Felicity Jones, Sigourney Weaver, Toby Kebell, and Geraldine Chaplin. The film will be directed by Juan Antonio Bayona and will be released on October 14, 2016.
What’s All the Talk About?
Thirteen-year-old Conor has a lot going on in his life. His mother has cancer, the bullies are after him, his grandmother wants to take him away, his best friend betrayed him, and his father is busy spending time with his new family. On top of everything, Conor has horrible nightmares, ones that wake him up in a cold sweat. Things only get worse when he begins to hear his name whispered late in the night. It’s the monster coming for him, the one from his nightmares.
Except, it isn’t.
One dark night, a monster appears in the form of a yew tree that is just outside his home. The monster is enormous and capable of inflicting serious damage. Conor isn’t scared of this monster because it’s not like the one in his nightmares. Surprised at his lack of fright, the monster looms over his window and with a booming voice declares that he will visit him soon and tell him three stories. When he finishes the last story, Conor has to tell him his story. Over the course of the nights, the monster tells him the stories, each with a different purpose. The first is of an evil queen, the second of a selfish man, and the third about an invisible man. Conor is then forced to relive the nightmare he fears the most, and reveals a truth so well hidden, sending the reader on a whirlwind of emotions.
What I Think
It’s like having a papercut…in your heart.
Initially, I was skeptical about the premise of this novel: Would it be too childish? Would I feel out of my element? Would it leave me satisfied?
I am a 21-year-old college student that, despite her love for fantasy and YA novels, finds it difficult to connect to characters that are so young at times. A 2012 survey conducted at The Guardian said 55% of YA readers are adults, so why am I having this problem? Am I forgetting what it felt like to be a teen?
A Monster Calls isn’t a story about overcoming the fear of a giant monster, it’s about facing a terrifying truth.
(Source: Telegraph, Illustration by Jim Kay)
***Disclaimer: Potential spoilers ahead.***
That being said, I’ve been blown away from the writing style Ness employs to write this story, and the illustrations are breathtaking. Fellow blogger, TheBookSmugglers, puts it best in her review: “It is superb in its storytelling as it celebrates storytelling itself as the Monster tells his stories. It is unforgettable as it follows a young boy dealing with the saddest thing of all: the prospect of losing a mother. It is hopeful and beautiful even as it leads to the liberal production of heartfelt tears.”
Now, let’s talk about the monster.
Initially, I thought the monster would either be some kind of friend or mentor that Conor would turn to. Maybe a hardwood version of Albus Dumbledore.
Nope.
The monster is an ancient being: majestic, arrogant, proud, and wise. The reader knows something is coming, but isn’t sure what to expect.
Conor’s tumultuous relationship with his father, for example, reflected a harsh reality for many children. Conor’s grandmother is a different story altogether. She is depicted as stiff, proper, and unfeeling at times. Even though this was how Conor thought of his grandmother, the reader is clearly able to see that she struggles to cope with her daughter’s illness.
“Her mouth closed, but it didn’t close into its usual hard shape. It trembled and shook, as if she was fighting back tears, as if she could barely hold the rest of her face together. And then she groaned, deep in her chest, her mouth still closed. It was a sound so painful, Conor could barely keep himself from putting his hands over his ears.”
The stories the monster tells Conor are beautifully interwoven throughout the novel. They’re filled with imperfect characters, unexpected storylines, and even more unexpected conclusions. Each one reflects a challenge in Conor’s life: the first one deals with Conor’s misconception of good and evil, the second one with the destructive nature of selfishness, and the third with the meaning of being visible.
“You do not write your life with words’ the monster said. ‘You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.”
(Source: Giphy)
The conclusion brought a culmination of sadness and satisfaction, leaving me both grief-stricken and happy. There is a clear emphasis on adolescent emotion and the transition from teen to adult. Suffice it say that I highly enjoyed this novel and encourage readers of all ages to pick it up.
This novel might even help us embrace some of our own monsters.
A Book Nirvana 