Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness
Chaos Walking #1

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.

Rating: 4.5/5

My Thoughts:

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown. His birthday is coming and he will take his place among the men of his community: a community of only men, where each can hear the others thoughts. The inhabitants of Prentisstown, man and animal, have Noise: a continual stream of thoughts and images projected to everyone around. There is no stopping or hiding your Noise, and there is no way to hide from it, it is just a way of life. But when Todd stumbles upon a hole in the Noise, things begin to change in Todd's life and he finds himself on the run from all of the people he's ever known. He discovers along the way that all he's known to be true may not be.

The book starts out on a slightly confusing note. You are tossed straight into Todd’s world and that threw me off a bit. But don’t fret, just keep reading and all of your questions are answered in due time. Most of them at least, it is a series, so there are a few things left for the next book.. The author’s writing is very powerful. Ness gets across what is needed in a seemingly minimalistic way. There is no fluff in this story, everything that is said is important in some way. I wouldn't exactly recommend this book to the casual reader. If you are just looking for a quick, easy read, this is not it. I would recommend this book to someone who loves adventure, and who is not afraid of a not-so-happy ending.

This book took me on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed and I cried, with not even a chapter in between. It took me a little bit to get into it but once I did, I was done in two days. It is one of those books where it seems like things just get worse and worse. One bad thing after another happens with only a few breaths of fresh air in between before feelings of despair return. But this book was so good, even with all of that. And even though I know this series will not have a happy or even slightly joyful ending, because that is just the type of books these are, I can’t wait to continue.

Have you read this book? What did you think?