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A review by christel_booksmart
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
4.0
"The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking."
I started reading this book with trepidation. Trepidation because it is purportedly aimed at children-teens. So I wasn't expecting a sophisticated storyline or language. But upon reading the first few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the language was simplistic, but ironically, was a clever means of portraying Todd, the protagonist's, immaturity and innocence; themes which persisted throughout the whole book. I soon realised that this book was similar to Harry Potter- sufficiently sophisticated in characters and storyline so as to be enjoyed by readers of any age. There were many great themes explored in this book; namely the idea of "Noise" and how characters in the book could all hear each other's every thought. It seems nowadays that everyone wants to share almost every aspect of their lives on social media. But what if we lived in a world where NOTHING was secret? Where we had no choice but to share our every thought?
"Say you were standing on a hilltop with someone who had no Noise. Would it be like you were alone there? How would you share it? Would you want to?"
Would we appreciate the privacy we do have? Would we stop craving attention and validation on social media, treating every site like our personal diaries? I think this book explored these underlying issues very well.
Patrick Ness also managed to reduce me to a blubbering mess. He had this 22 year adult crying real tears in a book not aimed at my age group. If this book can make an adult cry, it can certainly be enjoyed by all ages.
So, Ness made me 1) think, and 2) feel, like the best books do. Therefore, I don't think the idea that this is a "children's" book should prevent people from reading it. It is a good story with great underlying themes and great characters. And it ends, like all good books in a series do, with a cliffhanger. So I'm now compelled to read the second book.
Overall, this is a great book with a great message, and I encourage everyone to read it.
"I think maybe everybody falls. I think maybe we all do. And I don't think that's the asking. I think the asking is whether we get back up again."
I started reading this book with trepidation. Trepidation because it is purportedly aimed at children-teens. So I wasn't expecting a sophisticated storyline or language. But upon reading the first few chapters, I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the language was simplistic, but ironically, was a clever means of portraying Todd, the protagonist's, immaturity and innocence; themes which persisted throughout the whole book. I soon realised that this book was similar to Harry Potter- sufficiently sophisticated in characters and storyline so as to be enjoyed by readers of any age. There were many great themes explored in this book; namely the idea of "Noise" and how characters in the book could all hear each other's every thought. It seems nowadays that everyone wants to share almost every aspect of their lives on social media. But what if we lived in a world where NOTHING was secret? Where we had no choice but to share our every thought?
"Say you were standing on a hilltop with someone who had no Noise. Would it be like you were alone there? How would you share it? Would you want to?"
Would we appreciate the privacy we do have? Would we stop craving attention and validation on social media, treating every site like our personal diaries? I think this book explored these underlying issues very well.
Patrick Ness also managed to reduce me to a blubbering mess. He had this 22 year adult crying real tears in a book not aimed at my age group. If this book can make an adult cry, it can certainly be enjoyed by all ages.
So, Ness made me 1) think, and 2) feel, like the best books do. Therefore, I don't think the idea that this is a "children's" book should prevent people from reading it. It is a good story with great underlying themes and great characters. And it ends, like all good books in a series do, with a cliffhanger. So I'm now compelled to read the second book.
Overall, this is a great book with a great message, and I encourage everyone to read it.
"I think maybe everybody falls. I think maybe we all do. And I don't think that's the asking. I think the asking is whether we get back up again."