A Monster Calls

It took me literally 24 hours to process what I just read. I can't tell if this is a children's book or a young adult. It's both in a way. I've never seen the recent film adaptation for this book simply because I wanted to read the book experience first.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I definitely like it. It is very rich with foreshadow and symbolism. But, something was lacking for me. The story was shorter than I expected which made me believe that this was a children's book being sold as a young adult book. If that's the case, then this is a great book for children going through unimaginable tragedies. But, for young adult, I'd say it could use some improvement. For young adult readers, say ages 12-16, their feelings are developing and their intellect is evolving. Simple break downs of a tragic event may seem too petty. They're old enough to face the truths of reality. Children under the age of 12 may need more explanation as to how they should feel and understand the situation. With A Monster Calls it helps young readers who are developing reason and understanding for a dark topic. With that, I appreciate how graceful and understanding the book showed what it is like for a child to watch their parent die and that it's okay to have dark and morbid requests if it means saving someone they truly love.

When I read the reviews, I saw how many people cried by the end of the book. I figured I would too because of the super sad topic. But, it was like Marley and Me all over again. I have issues when it comes to shedding a tear for something I can't understand because I've never had to deal with. I have lost family members in my life, but I wasn't there on the day they died, and I was too young to remember. I'm not heartless or anything I just simply don't know what it's like for someone to lose a parent. It breaks my heart indeed, but going back to what I said in the previous paragraph, the book simplified the emotions for a sad moment. The ending came too soon, so I couldn't wrap my head or heart around the emotion long enough to be in tears by the end. Believe me I wanted to, but I wasn't in that mentality to do so.

Maybe after a second reading, I can back and fully understand the emotions Conor felt throughout the book. I definitely understood his anger and sadness, but I feel like there was more under Conor's skin that was bothering him than he cared to admit. His truth to the Monster was that he wanted his mother to be out of her suffering already, whether that meant passing away or be healed to live on with him. The story doesn't go into explicit detail mostly for the simplicity, but also for the sake of it cluttering the flow of the read. Patrick Ness has a great word economy. He chooses words that get the point across in a power yet simply way. But, he doesn't use profound Oxford vocabulary to describe scenes or characters. That is my biggest applause for Ness because authors these days forget that stories don't need thousands of details to tell the same story. It's all in the chosen words.

This a simple story with a memorable lesson. In today's world of gray moral, this book enlightens the meaning of good and bad as well as deceit and truth. The Monster tells his three tales and each comes with hidden moral. Conor's reaction personifies what we would feel as well. But, the Monster explains that not everyone appears what they are on the inside and that our decisions may not be what we intend. This is another reason to love the book. From each tale, Conor gains a new perspective even if he doesn't completely accept the tales told. This is a natural development for anyone learning a new moral. It's essentially up to the individual to decide what they belief is right and wrong.

I am really curious to see how the film adapted this book. There's so much subtext in this story it could rile a debate as to what it means. I hope the movie brings me to tears because it really is a story with a sad ending.

#Monster #SadEnding #AMonsterCalls #Bullying #Heartbreak