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Oh! Cakey Creativity

A Monster Calls (non illustrated)

A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness Read the full review on my blogThis is one of the most creative books about illness I’ve ever read about; it’s told from the point of view of Conor who is dealing with the idea of his mother suffering with a terminal cancer. It’s about his fears, grief and sufferings primarily – the family suffer as much as the diagnosed in a sense.It is written like a children’s book in a simplistic, fairytale manner, but the content I would say is aimed for an older audience. The themes in the book are quite hard hitting and complex at times, and this creates an odd lull to the book as you’re not entirely sure how it’s supposed to be perceived. This creates for an easy read, and I got through this book in a day, not just because of the simplistic manner that this book was written, but also due to the fact that it was such an enthralling read with something new always around the corner.The writing is laced with emotion, and from the very beginning you sympathise with this young boys imminent loss – he goes into himself, he acts out and he lets his emotions get the better of him sometimes, but this comes with the roller-coaster of a journey he’s having to go through at the moment. Although only 13, Conor is very relatable to anyone at any age going through the same thing – we all feel small and vulnerable in times of need, and we all need someone to hang on to.Being a “fairytale” as such, it comes with a moral, and a strong one at that. This is the kind of book that leaves you hanging, not for the story, but for yourself – it makes you think about life and how precious it is even with the ups and downs that we so dearly despise. A wonderful read, and I can’t say more than that without ruining the magic of a first time read.