REPORT CARD for The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
bff charm: yay
swoonworthy scale: 2
talky talk: aw shucks!
bonus factors: loyal pet, dystopia
relationship status: going steady
Based on the v. high recommendation of Jill, one of our lovely commenters (heeeeey girl!), I decided to give this book a shot, and WOW. i feel like that kid seeing a lobster for the first time cos WHOAH! WOW! WHOAH! I didn’t know anything about this novel except that it was dystopian, and my ignorance made the story that much more exciting. Since I want y’all to have the same nail-biting experience, I will strictly abide by our minimal spoiler policy, which means this report will be sparser than usual. Just don’t let my lack of detail dissuade you from picking up this literary piece of crazytown, cos it is totes B-A-N-A-N-A-S.
the deal:
Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown. All of the other males have reached the age at which manhood is bestowed, and all of the women died when Todd was a baby. And as if that wasn’t cray cray enough, everyone’s thoughts are now… audible. Um hello NIGHTMARE MUCH? Not only does it suck to have everyone hear your secrets, it’s also a total mind f*ck because the sounds never stop. There is no such thing as silence, because even when people are asleep, their dreams are broadcast at full volume. I’m assuming the women died from MORTIFICATION?!! To escape this horrible cacophony known as The Noise, Todd spends much of his time in the nearby forest swampland, formerly the home of the Spackle, an alien race rendered extinct by territory wars with the humans. Even without other guys around, the Noise persists, because GUESS WHAT. You can hear animals too! What WHAT!!!!! I know Todd would disagree, but i think that is TOTALLY AWESOME, esp. if you’ve seen “Up.” SQUIRREL!
As the story begins, Todd is cursing his adolescence and killing time with his dog, Manchee, who will not shut up about having to poop (LUV U MANCHEE). Little does Todd know that things are about to get completely and utterly UNSANE!!!!!!
bff charm: yay
It took me a while to warm up to Todd, until I remembered that he’s a twelve-year-old boy. Then I was like, “Ooooh! Now yr immaturity and extremely impulsive behavior makes sense! Dang, I bet you kinda smell weird, too.” But, like any good hero, Todd’s character improves tremendously as he faces a series of totally terrifying challenges that made me alternate between pumping my fist and closing the book so I could remind myself that my own life was not, in fact, at risk. Because lord have MERCY Patrick Ness is cruel. We’re talking Suzanne-Collins-level, i.e. HARDCORE BRUTAL to his characters, and also to readers who tend to have problems separating reality from YA fiction. Ahem. By the end, not only did I want to give Todd a bff charm, I wanted to be, like, blood brothers with him (ok, not literally… well, you’ll see) cos he *yearns* to do what’s right, and it’s that motivation that makes him brave, which, in my opinion, is the best kind of courage.
swoonworthy scale: 2
Y’all, this is a straight up adventure book. And that’s all I can say at this time. (I’m starting to feel like an FBI agent or something. It’s kinda awesome, esp. cos I LOVE KEEPING SECRETS. SHHHH!!!)
talky talk: aw shucks!
I’ll admit, the narration in this book takes a little getting used to. Todd’s dialect is pretty hick-ish, since he grew up on a farm, and most of the book learnin’ stopped after all of the women folk died. Fortunately, the story grabbed me so quickly that I couldn’t really focus on anything else besides OMG WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. Patrick Ness really keeps the action coming, in that “Oh you think things are bad now? Well… WHAT ABOUT THIS, SUCKAAAA?” kinda way. In other words, he gets all up in yr grill. Fortunately, the speed of the plot doesn’t sacrifice the authenticity of Todd’s inner struggles, and his voice rings clear and true, no matter how fast you turn the pages. (And I turned ‘em pretty fast, y’all. We’re talking, animated flip book style).
bonus factor: loyal pet
Honestly, I can’t believe this factor hasn’t come up before, esp. considering how many dystopia YA novels are coming out. Then again, it’s not like the tributes would want to bring their favorite little puppy into the Hunger Games arena. Anyhoo, Todd’s dog Manchee is MY FAVORITE THING IN THIS ENTIRE BOOK. He follows in the grand tradition of Loyal Pets (see: Boomer in “Independence Day” and Oy in “The Dark Tower” series) who stand by their owners no matter what because THEY LOVE THEM OMG!!!! Manchee has the added bonus of actually being able to talk, which is nice cos Lassie was great and all, but seriously, who can understand all of that frenzied barking?
bonus factor: dystopia
The environment in this book is definitely dystopian, but it’s also completely different than what you would expect. Ness has created a world that, for me, is a refreshing change from yr typical the-government-is-evil, big brother blah blah blah. Basically, this book is a whole new ball game, and I’m totally buying one of those big foam hands cos I am officially a superfan.
casting call:
Unfortunately, I only get to cast one person due to the non-spoilery nature of this review (which sucks cos I am DYING TO CAST… some other people). But Todd *is* the main character, and I’m pretty excited about my choice, even though he’s a tad too old at this point:
jesse plemons as todd
As Landry on “Friday Night Lights” (BEST SHOW EVER), Jesse Plemons is the perfect balance of humble and awkward, and I think he’s got the acting chops to handle all of the Major Shizz that Todd experiences.
relationship status: going steady
This book and I are not just messing around– we are FOR SERIOUS. In fact, things are pretty intense between us, and I think I’m ready to take our relationship to the Next Level. I’m talking, of course, about reading the sequel, The Ask and the Answer, which is WAITING FOR ME AT THE LIBRARY RIGHT NOW. GAH!!! I cannot stop thinking about it, to the point where I think I’m gonna cut class (gasp!) just so we can hang out *immediately*. Everyone knows I’m a total goody goody, but when it comes to this book, RULES BE DAMNED. Plus, if a teacher tries to catch me in the halls, I’ll just employ one of the numerous escape strategies I learned from my awesomely renegade boyfriend.
Related posts:
{ 9 trackbacks }
{ 56 comments… read them below or add one }
I WANT THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW. Hello, weekend trip to the book store! Wanna take the contents of my wallet?
Also, any book with Landry is a straight win. I hope Todd is ready to Rock for Jesus! CRUCIFICTORIOUS!!!!!!
CRUCIFICTORIOUS RULZZZZZ!!!! seriously. SXSW SECRET SHOW! NOW!!
erin, get thee to the bookstore. this is one boyfriend i don’t mind sharing.
Wow, this book sounds am-AZ-ing! However, I must find out if the dog dies, cause that’s when I get all girly and won’t be able to read it. In fact, I’d probably miss some of the finer plot points because I’d e spending the entire book extremely stressed out worrying about something bad happening to the dog, cause that’s how I roll.
That DOG IS ADORABLE. I want to read this book. It sounds fantastic.
One of the teen volunteers suggested I buy this book for the library. I’ve been waiting for it to come in so I can read it. I might not be able to wait now.
Jenny! ME TOO about the dog. i spent the whole REVIEW wondering about the dog — i’d be a basketcase with the book. although i don’t think poshdeluxe could rave about a book where the dog dies at the end (or in the middle), so i’m willing to go check it out because otherwise it sounds SO AWESOME. but, um, maybe a little hint please?
DANG this review has me INTRIIIIIGUED. I want to read it! Right! NOW!
I would buy it, but since Erin’s already doing that…:)
I am soo glad you loved this book! I still think about this book constantly and the world that Ness created is fantastic. Your comments about Todd are spot on too. In the beginning I was a bit annoyed with the illiterate speak of his dialogue (my hubby is reading it right now and can’t stand that Ness misspells words just because Todd mispronounces them) but I was quickly carried away by the story. Todd was so believable as a whiny immature “almost 13″ year old but the challenges he faced had believable affects on him. He was so well written. It was such an exciting nail biter for me. I couldn’t put it down and I had some way freaky dreams for weeks during and after reading books 1 and 2. Book 3 releases in May and I’m so ready for it. Can’t stand the waiting. This and HG3 are the books I’m most anxious to read.
And I heart Manchee. I name all my make believe pets after him now. “poop, todd, poop”. Classic.
“The Knife of Never Letting Go” is the best YA book I’ve read in 5 years. (Yes, even better than “The Hunger Games”! This may seem like blasphemy, but it’s true for me.) “The Ask and the Answer” is on the same level as the first book. Both are absolutely devastating and truly unforgettable.
If I had to choose between “Mockingjay” and the last book in the “Chaos Walking” trilogy, I would pick Chaos Walking.
Team Patrick Ness.
oh man Schuyler! What a horrible idea…choosing between Mockingjay and Monsters of Men???!!! I think I would have a panic attack brought on by the indecision. Both are such excellent series. I’m so thankful I won’t have to choose, I will read both!
GAH! didn’t the ending make you want to die! Patrick Ness is the KING of cliffhangers. As I’m sure you’re already aware, the second book ends the exact same way! I may chew off all my fingernails waiting for Monsters of Men to come out. Just reading reviews of the first two books returns me to the state of anxiousness that actually reading the books left me in (but it’s a good anxiousness, everyone should read them).
Also, PERFECT picture for Manchee. I have a friend named Todd; I can’t say his name without also saying poop. Having not read this book, he doesn’t think it’s funny.
Jill, I wouldn’t want to live in a world where I couldn’t own both Monsters of Men and Mockingjay!! Yet, perhaps it’s the nature of Ness’s books which puts me in the “What choices would I make?” frame of mind. Ness creates nearly impossible situations for his characters, then sadistically makes the reader agonize with them as they try to do the right thing. Choices, choices.
Lawral, LOLOL about your friend Todd!! Wish I had a friend with that name so I could torture him, too.
Also, I agree with the Manchee picture.
And poshdeluxe, Jesse Plemons looks almost EXACTLY how I picture Todd in my mind. Scarily accurate!
Haven’t checked the release date for Monsters yet. I’m afraid, like Lawral, I will chew off fingernails (and fingers, and toes) waiting for the date. It’s already bad enough waiting until 8.24.2010 for Mockingjay…help!
lawral, i am now extremely jealous of you, cos i don’t have a friend named todd, so i’m reduced to occasionally shouting, “POOP, TODD, POOP!” at my boyfriend, which makes absolutely no sense at all and can be downright embarrassing in certain situations (i.e. any public place). but i can’t help it! VIVA MANCHEE!
glad you guys liked my casting choices. i want to hug both of them IMMEDIATELY.
I JUST finished it and all I have to say is damn cliffhanger.
oooh porcelinajune, just wait until you finish the second one!!!
I just realized something… the image of the cover, of the two kids running through a field with a dog, it’s the same image as is on the cover of Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. Where do they get these stock photos?
megan, the question isn’t *where* do they get these stock photos, it’s WHY?!!! honestly, in our modern world of slick marketing, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR BAD COVERS. NONE AT ALL. cue my rant: http://www.foreveryoungadult.com/2009/10/22/how-to-judge-a-ya-book-by-its-cover/
now, i’m not saying the cover to this book is bad, necessarily, but how much does it cost to get original artwork? or couldn’t they have just done the super dramatic no picture, big bold text cover?
if i were nancy drew, i would totes investigate this. and also, i would not be hungover.
I’ve got to quit reading old book reports on here because now I’ve got to add these to my library list! Sounds great ladies! Can’t wait to read them all! *just what I needed, more books like Gone and HG to mess with my dreams!
Gone (I’m going to assume you are talking about Michael Grant’s series) messes with my dreams so bad. I have nightmares about Drake! I finished the 3rd book in the series yesterday and it wash hard to come back to reality!
I admit it. I just finished Knife a few hours ago. Can’t believe I waited so long to read it. Much out loud gasping and “what’s???” Talked Brian into bring Ask and Answer home when he came past the nearest bookstore. Good thing school doesn’t start tomorrow!!
OH MY GOD. OH. MY. JESUS.
I read this book in, like, three hours (combined, partly at work) and OH MY GOD. I can’t even PROCESS the WTFery of this book. It PUT ME THROUGH THE RINGER! (I won’t say why, but I think we all know the scene that will tear your heart out through your eyeballs.)
Patrick Ness, why do you hate joy?? Everytime I thought Todd was gonna get a break . . . nope.
I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU! gah i’m so glad you finally read it, but i can’t decide if that’s because it’s such a fantastic book or because i want you to join me in my suffering.
I think it’s the latter. CRUEL WOMAN!
I did wish more time was spent looking at the differences between the towns, though. Like, what made Prentisstown or that other town that they went to make those choices? (whereas Farbranch or whatever it’s called was egalitarian and cool)
i think at least some of yr curiosity will be satiated by the sequel. you DO have the sequel, don’t you? DON’T YOU?
not yet! SOON. I have to do my real work and read SVH this week.
I totes agree with both of you! ( I realize this is late-ish, but when I need new books to read, I go back a few pages). You guys TOTALLY need to find some sort of little icon to put at the top of the page of reviews of books like this, so I know I’m in for some copious weeping when Patrick Ness does his OMG I HATE WHEN PEOPLE ARE HAPPY AND HERE’S SOME HORROR FOR YOU TO CRY OVER AND MAKE YOUR HUSBAND THINK YOU’RE CRAY-CRAY. Because Seriously. Dude. The FUCK? You who’ve read the book know what I’m talkin’ about…with the bad guy and the river and MJ CRIES. Gah. I think my heart did actually come out my eyeballs. And my nose. WHY PATRICK NESS? WHY?! I want to write him an angry letter.
That said, I agree that Manchee is FABOOSH. I want a Manchee. I’m prepared to name my firstborn child, male or female, after Manchee. And its first words will be “Poop, Todd, Poop!” or I’m sending it back.
“I think my heart did actually come out my eyeballs. And my nose.”
BWAHAHAHA. mj, i feel you.
There are some books that need warning labels, like, “Don’t read this at work, on a plane, on public transport, at yr table when you’re eating alone in a restaurant, or any other public place.” maybe we need to make a tag for our reviews?
good call, meghan. what about something like… DNRIP (Do Not Read In Public)?
Book Thief gets that label. Cause copious crying in public is not attractive unless your country is winning/losing the World Cup.
alright, the tag DNRIP has been created so we can add it to all of the reviews that need a warning label. meghan, i particularly recommend adding it to yr review of “if i stay” because i still haven’t lived that one down in my office. sigh.
Oh definitely. I read that one at my inlaws’ and was a total mess. Mistake.
Oops. shoulda read down farther. Thanks for the label, guys!
I <3 Manchee.
OMG….I know I’m a bit behind the times, but living “down under” that’s how it is.
This book was amazing. It actually reminded me a lot of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series, which I LOVED.
I actually cried in this book…and I have never done that before. I needed that DNRIP warning. Why, Patrick Ness, why!!!!
Just started The Ask and the Answer…hope it doesn’t rip my heart out like this one…or I’m gonna need some counselling after!
larz, i’m sorry to tell you this but… THE BOOKS ONLY GET MORE GUT-WRENCHING.
i’m reviewing the third and final book tomorrow, but don’t peak until you’ve finished ask and the answer!
OH EM GEE I cannot get my effing heart to calm down. MANCHEE!!! I just finished the book (in, like, an unhealthfully short amount of time) and yes, my heart is also coming out my eyeballs. holy dang, patrick ness. I need the ask and the answer ASAP. i might actually explode. thanks so much for the recommendation! so glad these books are in my life now!
JUST YOU WAIT, MEGAN. just you wait.
OH my GOSH.
i pretty much just died after finishing this book and immediately bought the second one on my Kindle because i could NOT deal with the ending. i wanted to dig a hole in the ground and jump in it because of Manchee. I wanted to stab the preacher for them so many times. or take a grenade and throw it at him. yeah that would have been better.
thank you so much for reviewing this so i would be encouraged to read it.
thank you.
I’ve never commented before, but I had to on this one because OH EM EFFING GEE, THIS BOOK JUST KILLED ME. And I am dead now. And writing from beyond the grave. Seriously, seriously. I think it took me roughly a chapter to get used to the spelling and all that, and then I just basically sat and read the freakoing thing solidly for hours and hours until finally emerging from my room looking like a zombie, clutching the book and howling “WHY PATRICK NESS, WHYYYYYY?!?!”
Also, it may interest you to know that the version of the book I own has a different cover. Same colour scheme and font, but no silohuetted figures, just a road leading to nowhere basically. It’s actually kind of nice.
As a final note, I want to say that at that scene that everyone keeps alluding to in which hearts were ejected from eyes and noses, I almost got up and put the book in the freezer a la Joey from Friends. Which is hopefully a reference you get because, really? BOOK, IT’S THE FREEZER FOR YOU.
Manchee fo’ evah. Love, love, love.
megan # eleventy five, i applaud you for yr online handle AND the friends reference. because, yes, sometimes books need a freezer time out because THEY CANNOT BE HANDLED.
this whole SERIES needs the freezer. actually, my TEABS-wracked BRAIN needs some freezer time.
i want to name my next dog manchee.
It does need the freezer! I wish i had thought of that last night when I was sobbing so uncontrollably that my husband woke up wondering what was wrong. Fortunately, he knew how much I loved Manchee (I read him some of the first chapter-poo, Todd, poo), and he helped to console me. I’m still not sure if I can finish the book after this!
I’m going to go hug my dog Sinatra now. He is almost as cool as Manchee.
I wish my husband had consoled me when I ran to my bedroom to cry into my pillow and hug my cat. He just looked at me like I was nuts. Poo, Todd, Poo forever!
Based on all the Megans posting here, witty and hilariously, I must say I think most, if not all, Megans must be rather badass. Go Megans! (various spellings.)
amen, sister.
So I picked up this book after Posh recommended it at our semi-annual high school Christmas reunion and started reading it this week.
I’m not finished with it yet, but to give you an idea of where I am in the book-I went to bed bawling last night and woke up my husband.
Patrick Ness is a genius, but I hate him for making me love a character that he would then rip out of my heart later. I can’t remember a time I cared so much about a character in a book.
YOU’RE WELCOME KATIE! also… the subsequent books get even better. which ironically means your emotions will get even harder to deal with.
Way late on commenting on this post, but I just finished the book late last night and was crying, crying, crying uncontrollably. I agree – that just ripped my heart out completely. SPOILER (I would be more opaque about it but I think it’s already been said who dies): I think if Manchee had died in some other way it may have been less horrifying, but the element of choice/guilt and the cruelty/violence of that scene was shocking to me. Last year, I had to put my beloved Sidney to sleep and that scene seriously reopened that wound. Anyways…….. Snifff, gonna pour out a little liquor for both Sidney and Manchee tonight.
after all the FYA praise, I finally read the book and its EFFING CRAZYTOWN! how can Patrick Ness just end the book like THAT?
i’m hooked. just put my hold request for the next two in the series. but i’m worried that Patrick Ness is just going to break my heart.
i finished this book today. last night, when i got to the-scene-of-heart-through-eyeballs, i had to close the book and call my brother *sobbing*. and i was half-laughing because i was weeping so hard. and i kept saying, “but it was awful… i am such an idiot, i’m crying over… but it was so awful.” and he was like, “i don’t know what you’re saying?”
i can’t imagine the books getting worse than that. i’ll trust you a little, but this one just WRECKED ME SO MUCH.
Right!?!?
Sorry, that was my response to everyone’s posts b/c OH EM GEE. I tried to find The Ask and the Answer (b/c OMG, the ENDING) at my library, but of course, I had to be put on hold, so I obviously nooked (that sounds super dirty) the second book immediately. Can’t wait to read the last one…and can’t WAIT to recommend this to my teens!
This book took me a while to get into because of the crazyass dialect…. but then.. this book TOOK CONTROL OVER ME, I got kidnapped into this insane world. This was – hands down, a book that I literally could not put down. In fact, I went and got the next two books and read them straight through and LITERALLY, not kidding you, was pumping my fist, crying and yelling out loud at Todd, at the end of the last book. Ugh, this series got all up in me and did not let go.
The river scene destroyed me. I actually interrogated my boyfriend before hand JUST ABOUT whether the dog dies at the end. Jerk he said it didn’t. So I’m blithely reading along expecting this to be ok and then OH MY GOD. Sobbing ensued.
My family had to put our beloved Lab down two years ago. We’d have him since I was 2 so it was a bit heartwrenching, and then reading that…Gah.
I am super late to the party. Mainly because I’m a poor college student and it took my library forever to get this book.
Except now I can’t finish it (for the moment, it will get finished eventually). I just hit the river scene and now I have to step away for awhile and calm down before reading more.
I feel you, sister. My husband thought I was nuts because I ran bawling to my room and cried into a pillow.