Book Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

"'Here's what I think,' I say and my voice is stronger and thoughts are coming, thoughts that trickle into my noise like whispers of truth. 'I think maybe everybody falls,' I say. 'I think maybe we all do. And I don't think that's the asking.'
I pull on her arms gently to make sure she's listening.
'I think the asking is whether we get back up again.'"

From The Knife of Never Letting Go By Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Course: Writing for Children and Young People

Description: Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? (From barnesandnoble.com)

Type of Literature: Teen Science Fiction

Why I Like It: This is one of the most creative stories I've read in a long time. While it's Science Fiction there is a gritty realism that I really like. As a reader you don't really know why Todd must leave or why the men in the town are tracking him, but that's ok because Todd don't really know any more than the reader. My only issue with this book is that Todd swears a lot. It's funny because he often admits that what he writes isn't what he really said (like saying eff and then addressing the reader to acknowledge that he is censoring the text). Because of the environment he's grown up in - no women, no schooling - the presentation of the character is real and that realness makes you like and root for him. I'm buying the Chaos Walking series on my Nook so I can finish the trilogy.