Availablity In School Library: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Blurb: Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee - whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not - stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden - a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
I will begin with this: even if you're not a fan of science fiction - STAY. Hear me out. The Knife of Never Letting Go is set on another planet, yes. It also has aliens and weird diseases that make the animals talk and cause people's thoughts to be visible to the whole world, yes. But you know what else it also has? An incredible story about morality and what it means to be truly human. It asks some pretty big questions. There's a complex world and some greatly built characters but it's not the thing that matters most. What I think is the most important thing in this book is what happens inside Todd rather than what happens in the outside world. It's a story of his internal world rather than the external one and I think this is pretty vital when it comes to experiencing this book.
Then comes the question: is Todd a likeable main character? I should point out that an unlikeable MC can ruin even the best story. Is that the case in this book? No. I enjoyed his character. He's not perfect, he's confused, sometimes even annoying and he makes few stupid decisions. It is that that makes him seem real and alive. He's a 13-year old that grew up in a town full of psychotic men, for God's sake. What do you expect him to be?
The book is written in a strong accent, with a lot of misspellings. Since Todd is uneducated and unable to read, I found it to be really effective. I understand how for some people it can be hard to get used to but personally I was familiar with it after the first 30 pages and could plunge right into the story. The language itself reveals a lot about Todd - his cluelessness, innocence and will to survive.
The only thing, or rather a person that irked me was Aaron. This guy was like a crazy squirrel that was fed with Red Bulls for all his life. No matter what drove him he would die a long time before the end of the book. Blood loss, predators, infections, anything. And I really would prefer if that daft sucker died before he had done what he did. Him living through all that stuff is purely impossible.
The Knife of Never Letting Go is a great adventure through an original story world, where you can experience how a boy turns into a man. It's action packed but deep at the same time. It explores the themes of loyalty and morality, of something I think is slightly lacking in our world. All of the characters can be applied to people from our everyday life because some people just want to see the world burn.
No comments
Post a Comment