Published in 2011, A Monster Calls is the story of 13-year-old Conor
O'Malley. By night, he's haunted by nightmares of a monster coming
inexorably for him. By day, he's trapped with feelings he can't express
as he deals with his cancer-stricken mother. The story takes a
fantastical turn when a giant tree monster really does come for Conor --
but not to physically threaten. He has three tales to tell the boy over
the coming nights, and once they've been told, Conor will be obligated
to tell a story of his own. But that prospect is far more terrifying
than any monster could be, filling Conor with a consuming dread.
Not
one but two friends both praised the novel, and so it went into my
stack. (I opted for the written version over the audiobook.) When I did
pick it up, I was first greeted with a foreword that contextualized the
story itself. A Monster Calls is written by Patrick Ness -- but the core
of the story was conceived by another writer named Siobhan Dowd. She
herself had cancer, and passed away before she could write the book. Ness was approached to write from Dowd's notes, by the two
writers' shared editor.
The
result is a story of powerfully dark tone and heavy emotional content.
It's a credit to both writers. Dowd's influence can be felt in the solid
structure. This reads like a fairy tale -- and in the tradition of the
original classics, it's a dark one. In the writing itself, you get Ness'
contribution. He vividly writes from the perspective of a single
character, making you feel his pain.
Still,
A Monster Calls is not a relentlessly bleak story, as my description
has probably made it sound. There is catharsis and release here,
realization and hope blended with the darkness. Still, there can be no
question that this story will most powerfully affect a reader who has
known cancer up close. And for someone like that? Well, it might be TOO
intense a read to consider.
I
would give the book a B+. It's a compelling story with a compelling back story of its own creation.
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