A Monster Calls

Not for the first time am I little bit annoyed to read a rave review of a book that failed to mention that it's a children's book. But all in all, I still really enjoyed it.

Apart from the review, the cover really drew me in. I love the cover. I was a bit disappointed to discover that the physical book is chockablock with fantastic illustrations. Why are audiobook listeners deprived of these? Is there still some myth that most audiobook listeners are blind? I would have loved if the images were part of the download. Actually in a perfect world, a digital purchase would get you an audiobook and an e-book in package.

I also just finished listening to a Mark Kermode book where he said at one point "Look at the image below"!

I really enjoyed this book due to fab. an idea of.................... A monster walking alongside with a young boy on his journey through living hell. The ordeal of his mother having cancer and all the elements which go along side. this In a senstive, thoughtful but clear and clever thought provoking way for all involved and through the all the stages of greif. I would like more.................. loved it. xx.

This was a really touching story. Connor was a great lad and his situation was heartbreaking. His mother, who battles cancer throughout the narrative, was a brave and touching character. Connor's grandmother seemed cold and cruel at times, but was simply a woman trying to remain strong in the face of the inevitability that she would soon have to bury her daughter. Ness subverts expectations with this narrative. He highlights the often sad conclusions of so many real-life narratives, a theme that is all the more poignant given Siobhan Dowd's own untimely death due to breast cancer.

The eponymous Monster of the book was also a subversion of common conceptions. He wasn't scary in a conventional way. Even Connor wasn't scared of him at first. He didn't eat babies or terrorise villagers. He was scary because he made Connor face up to the unfairness of reality and made him see how frightening the truth can be. Sometimes the scariest thing about tragedy is how happy it can make us when it's over...

I enjoyed the tales told by the Monster as I've always enjoyed the sometimes dark-morality of fairy tales. Ness' monster captured this tone and atmosphere superbly. Yesterday I mentioned Stephen King's knack for capturing the perfect tone for dark bedtime stories and I have to repeat this praise for Ness today!

Overall, this was a moving story. It is impressive that such a short tale can have such depth and beauty, and it is also impossible to forget the circumstances that saw it being written. However, great stories live for a long time. It is a touching tribute to the imagination of a strong writer that this tale was given life by the incredible Patrick Ness. His skills breathed life into a tale that might have otherwise been left to dust.