The Knife of Never Letting Go - Book Review
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? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.
I received this book as a birthday present from one of my best friends. She and I have truly the same taste in literature, so she knows what I will like and what I should put down. This book is pretty big - about 500 pages - and I was as nervous to read it as I was excited. However, my reading goal this year is not as rigorous, so I had enough time to enjoy reading it slowly. I did not.
The only thing I had read about this book before reading it was that it was a bit quirky, fast-paced, and that the first line set the tone for the whole thing. I was a bit disappointed with the first line, though, after reading about how great it was. The beginning was so jarring that I wondered if I would like the book at all. I knew nothing about the plot, genre, and I had never read anything by Patrick Ness before. In short, I didn't know what I was getting myself into.
This book is a crazy ride. I finished reading it in about three sittings, and I hardly ate or looked at my phone until I was done. The characters are interesting, the plot goes along at neck-breaking speed, and what starts out as a seemingly dumb kid talking to his dog ends up being a very intellectual work with political commentary. I loved every second of this book, and I've since been trying my best to find something with a similar pace.
I used to avoid thrillers, but now I'm hooked. I received the next two books in the trilogy (after begging my grandma to bring it to Korea) but I'd like to extend the amazement I felt a little longer. I'm nervous once again to start the second book, knowing that it might not be as good as the first.
I'd highly recommend The Knife of Never Letting Go to anyone who loves a great plot, interesting characters, and lovers of any genre because this one will convert you to thriller/sci-fi.