Review #13 - A Monster Calls

Author: Patrick Ness Rating: ★★★★

The pain, emotions and suffering that a child can go through while seeing any parent of his or her go through some painful phase in life, is unimaginable. This is the plight of thirteen year old Connor, brought up by his mother mostly, as his parents had separated some time back, now to fight the notion that he is going to lose his mother to cancer. As if that isn't enough, the boy is bullied in school, he seems to be ignoring the one person who is his friend for having gone and told everyone that his mother has been diagnosed with cancer and his not-wanted-around maternal grandmother has come around to take care of him and his mother.

Fighting all of these terrible events, he has unimaginable and unspeakable dreams (not mentioned till the end of the book) and is one night visited by a monster, who tells him three stories, and demands Connor that the fourth story will be have to be told by him - about his dream - that he is so scared of admitting. If he fails to do so, the monster shall eat him.

Not letting out more than the outline of the story than I already have, the book is truly for everyone to read, and not just young adults. There are lessons for everyone to learn, mostly delivered through the stories told by the Monster. The emotions of each and every character are real and delicately dealt through a fantasy tale spun beautifully by Patrick Ness, and the story would leave readers with a little of an uncomfortable feeling. Why? Well read the book to find out.

P. S. Reminder: Adults, do give it a read. You'll learn more from this young adult novel than the adult novels of Fifty Shades of Grey.

#fantasy #youngadult #fiction #horror