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| A Monster Calls |
An unflinching, darkly funny, and deeply moving story of a boy, his seriously ill mother, and an unexpected monstrous visitor.
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting— he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd— whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself— Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting— he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd— whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself— Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.
Patrick Ness talking about how the book came to be:
Jackie says:
"Conor is being haunted by two monsters--one that is the blackest truth he knows, and another seeking that horrible truth. Neither will give him a moment's rest, both are pushing him further than he ever imagined he could go. All of this is happening in the backdrop of his mother's illness, his struggles with his disapproving grandmother, the appearance of his absentee father and some rather violent bullying at school. This book is not nearly as scary as it is heart wrenching--I certainly teared up over the last several pages. And the illustrations, done by the brilliant Jim Kay, are not to be missed--they set the dark nightmare feel of the book to perfection.
This is a very impressive book based on an idea of the late children's author Siobhan Dowd, who Ness honors greatly with his wonderful telling."
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