Book Blog - THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness

Ok, I know we were SUPPOSED to have read books about love or something, but I have a book that I just couldn’t resist telling everyone about…

A good friend (and loyal YA Muses reader), Ryan Miller, sent me a note last fall suggesting I read THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness. Trusting his stellar taste, I put it on my To-Read list along with the staggering number of other titles. Last month, I finally got around to reading it.

Holy...What was I waiting for? Where in the blazes have I been? Why was Ryan the first to mention it to me? And why didn’t he tape a copy in my hands and toothpick my eyes so I would have to read it at that moment?

Here’s the description from Ness’website:

 

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown. 

But Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets. 

Or are there? 

Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd unexpectedly stumbles upon a spot of complete silence. 

Which is impossible. 

Prentisstown has been lying to him. 

And now he's going to have to run...

Normally, I’d spout off about how the jacket copy should be enough to make you want to get the book. Yes, this blurb is wonderful and enticing, but, frankly, it doesn’t do the novel justice. To be fair, though, no description would.

Literally, this book has everything I look for in a novel. The narrator, Todd, tells his story in one of the most unique and most brilliant voices I’ve heard. As a character, Todd himself is deep, complex, and REAL. The supporting cast pops just as much. (Side note: I LOVED Todd’s dog, Manchee, so much that I vow to name a dog after him because Manchee is the ruddy best dog). At times, the plot got so intense that my wife (hi, Lisa) barred me from reading it in bed since I’d get seriously wound up. The world Ness built is alive with the beauty, danger, and grit, reminiscent of an Old Western, but with a subtle, captivating strangeness. I could go on…but I think you get the idea.

This is one of those books where I kick the wall and shout, “I will NEVER be that good.” However, on the other hand, it’s so amazing that it demands that I try because this is the kind of book I want to write.

***And, Dear Readers, you HAVE to come by the blog on Monday. We’ve got a FAT (wink, wink) giveaway that you’ll want to participate in. Seriously.***