By: Patrick Ness
Copy received from my local library
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown.
But Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming, never-ending Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets.
Or are there?
Just one month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd unexpectedly stumbles upon a spot of complete silence.
Which is impossible.
Prentisstown has been lying to him.
And now he's going to have to run...
My Review: This book was highly recommended by Holly at Book Harbringer. According to Holly, the Chaos Walking series was one that she wanted to shout about from the rooftops. With a recommendation like that, how could I resist?
This novel was billed to me as a dystopian novel. I'm not sure I agree with that. See, this story takes place on another planet. In my own personal definition of dystopia, things are still going on at Earth.
The first line of this novel is probably one of the best I've ever read. It sets up the story so beautifully, and immediately catches your interest:
The first thing you find out when yer dog learns to talk is that dogs don’t got nothing much to say. About anything.The Knife of Never Letting Go keeps a fast pace; however, initially I found it hard to get into. Much like The Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
, this book had a unique writing style. Whenever "noise" was mentioned, it was in a different type-face than the rest of the story. Todd doesn't know how to read, thus his language is poor and rudimentary. I spoke to one person who never did finish this book because she couldn't get past the fact that the dog spoke.But, I stuck with it. And I'm very glad I did. About four or five chapters in, the book took an unexpected twist. Once that major twist happened, I got sucked in. Todd was an amazing character. He has the innocence of youth and a deep desire to do good. In many ways his upbringing has left him with some prejudice that he has to overcome. In his world, everyone knows what everyone is thinking. Patrick Ness makes you really appreciate the wonderful gift that is the solitude of our own thoughts.
This book ends in a cliffhanger that I was not pleased with. I am not a big fan of books that end in a way that there is no way the story resolves until a sequel comes along. With that said, at least all the other books are out, so I won't have a long wait for the rest of the series.
If you like science fiction, you will enjoy this book. Readers who like interesting typesetting and a visual aspect to their books also have a good chance of liking this book. I don't know that I would recommend this book to all readers. But, if you are feeling daring, definitely pick it up.
My Rating:
Profanity: Mild
Sexuality: Mild; a few references here and there in some of the men's "noise"
Violence: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol: None
