Reading While Knitting: A Monster Calls

Reading: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness with Siobhan Dowd

Knitting: Cnoc Sweater, by me.  Eventually.  You know, when it's done.

Looking back, I see that the last Reading While Knitting I did was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman.  Which is sad, because I have read many, many wonderful things since then.  But also fitting, because about halfway through A Monster Calls, I realized that it was the best book of its kind I'd read since Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.  And obviously, that's really saying something.

And when I was finished with it, I handed it over to Dave and said "Read this.  Now."

It's the story of a boy who is visited by a monster, but isn't afraid, because he's seen something scarier than that, and nothing else could ever frighten him.  The book is illustrated beautifully by Jim Kay, with evocative and spidery-dreamy images that I shared with Willow last night.  I asked her, are you scared of this monster?   Of course, she answered.

The monster is a yew tree, the green man, the world snake, rooted in so many of our myths.  But he calls on the boy not to inspire fear, but to help him survive what no child should have to fear, but so many do. 

Patrick Ness and I go back, and I'm a huge admirer of his Chaos Walking series.  But here he proved himself capable of something that only a very few writers can claim.  We see everyone through the boy's eyes, but we are able to interpret people and events in a different way than he does.  And in so doing, Ness has written a book that is as honest as any I've ever read, and as generous.