A Monster Calls: Written by Patrick Ness, 2011 Edition, (First Edition) Publisher: Walker [Hardcover]

Enjoyable read with loverly illustrations

wonderful but sad story , everybody should read.

Fantastic book with a really beautiful story and lovely art. I gave it four stars as I bought a used copy which unfortunately had a stamp printed on one of the pages which I was not aware of when purchasing.

Brilliant book - Powerful stuff indeed - Look out the tissues.

When I first saw the book in Waterstones it was the cover that immediately drew me in. A dark charcoal black sketch of a creature approaching an isolated house under an oppressive night sky. Whatever story that inspired such a vision had to be worth it. But the eye candy, dour as it may be, does not end there as there are dozens of atmospheric sketches throughout the pages, all of them by illustrator Jim Kay, which really enhance the otherworldly tone of the story. Conor O'Malley is a young teen who is struggling to cop with bullying at school, deliberately alienating his female best friend, and believing that his dying mother will get better. Out of the shadows comes the monster, a giant being who takes the form of a yew tree on the hill beyond Conor's bedroom window. At first the monster seems threatening but there is a purpose behind his menace which Conor must understand after putting aside his anger and despair. Published two years after the death of Siobhan Dowd, the original author, this novel was completed by Patrick Ness who assembled it from her notes and outline. It's unclear what is her original work and what Ness has conjured up to fill in the gaps but the metaphysical angle is mildly disappointing. After plowing through so many of Tim Bowler's metaphysical stories about troubled teens I was hoping for something a bit more literal - yes monsters can be literal too. In the end the impact of the story is none the worse for it and the ending is just as hard-hitting as it was intended to be. There are many reasons to check out A Monster Calls - the artwork, the story, the story behind the story, it's unusual journey from conception to the print. Even if this type of fiction is normally outside of your interests I fully recommend this novel to everyone.