Review: A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book because I want to watch the movie, but wanted to experience the book first. I'm so mad that it took me to them making a movie before I finally read this book, because it was so wonderful. So real. So heartbreaking and raw and amazing!

Connor knows that his mother is very sick. He can't do anything about it and it's making him feel vulnerable and useless. He knows things are really bad when both his grandmother and his father come to see his mom and Connor. But his mom is going to get better and everything will go back to normal after that. Connor just knows it.

Every night, at 12:07am, Connor has a visit from a Monster. This Monster wants to tell him 3 stories, if Connor will then tell him his 1 nightmare. At first he was resistant, because, really, what would he want to know about those 3 stories. But the Monster is persistent and they go through with their deal. But the deeper Connor gets involved with this Monster, the more he regrets it.

And not only is Connor dealing with his sick mother, annoying grandmother and father, and the pushy Monster, he is also being alienated at school. Everyone is either ignoring him and pretending he is invisible because they know about his mom and they feel sorry for him, or he is being bullied by 3 guys at school who won't leave him alone.

Everything comes crashing together at once and it is too much for Connor. He breaks. But hopefully he can get himself back together again before it's too late.

This is such an amazing novel. I loved how there were graphics involved in the story. It wasn't needed to imagine what was happening, but it gave off such a dark and gloomy feel that you need to have in order to really get the meaning and story behind this novel.

I'm so glad that I read this book and I will definitely be recommending it to other readers and possibly my book club when the movie is released and it's not so popular.

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