Book Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go

Author: Patrick Ness

ISBN: 0763639311

Pages: 479

Release Date: September 9, 2008

Publisher: Candlewick

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Fiction

Source: Personal Copy

Rating: 4 out of 5 Bookworms

From Goodreads.com:

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

Review:

In the beginning, I was a bit put off by the style in which this book was written. The narrator, Todd, is clearly uneducated and so the writing style reflects his rather crass way of speaking (and thinking). At first, it was irritating and I almost put the book down, but then the story caught me and I got swept away. After a few chapters, I began to enjoy the unorthodox writing style because it reflected so much of Todd's character that a mere description could not provide.

As the story begins, Todd is the last boy in Prentisstown and he is to become a man in 30 days. Although he is looking forward to becoming a man, he is also nervous because he has no idea what the process entails. All he knows is that all the other boys of Prentisstown changed once they became men. And Todd's not sure that it was for the better.

In order to get away from the constant Noise of the town, Todd spends time in the swamp just on the outskirts of town. While there one day, he finds a girl hiding in the swamp, which was impossible (or so he believed), and within hours his whole life is turned upside-down.

Todd is suddenly on the run for his life with his silly but lovable dog and the silent and scared girl. The men of Prentisstown are hot on his heels. As they run, Todd begins to unravel the lies and terrible secrets that have been fed to him all of his life. Todd begins to learn the truth of Prentisstown and what really happened to all the women and why his being the last boy in town makes him the target of the angry army tirelessly in pursuit of him.

The book is very well written and fast paced. It grabs the readers attention with the unique story line and unorthodox narrative style. And the end of the book is a bit of a surprise that certainly leaves the reader waiting impatiently for the next book in the series.