A Monster Calls

by Patrick Ness

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth."

I found A Monster Calls to be very realistic in dealing with the troubles a thirteen year old boy must go through in Conor's situation. This story was dark, but it was real, and I learned a lot from it. 

Conor has a lot more responsibilities than other kids his age, and everybody knows it. He's treated differently because of it; given more sympathy, less punishments. All Conor wants is to be treated like any other kid. But he's well aware of the fact that it isn't any other kid that lives alone with his cancer-stricken mother.

So Conor begins to see things. The yew tree claimst to have come because Conor has called him, though the boy does not recall anything of the sort. I found the monster to be very harsh at times, in places where he could have been more thoughtful, but his methods are specifically aimed at getting Conor to admit the t-r-u-t-h.

I loved the paradox at the end, and the way the four tales came together. This story was crafted intelligently, and I admired Conor for the realizations he came to. I couldn't help but feel, however, uncomfortable at times, with the way the yew tree treated the young boy.


4/5 stars.