A Monster Calls

When you read a great book, you think about it endlessly.  And when you read a book that hits at your core, you probably never forget it.  I find many kid’s books are simple, yet profound.  This one hit me the hardest, especially considering my sister’s struggle with cancer.  The book, A Monster Calls, written by Patrick Ness (and inspired by Siobhan Dowd), is the story of a young boy named Conor O’Malley who develops reoccurring nightmares which lead to his nighttime meetings with a monster.  The monster is there to share three tales with him, and then have him share his story after hearing the tales.  The backdrop to the nightmares is that Conor is in a single parent family, living with his Mum (yes, a British setting for this tale), who developed cancer just the summer before.  (This I’m sure is chronicling in some way the original author’s own life, in which Ms. Dowd succumbed to cancer before the book was completed). 

Conor’s Dad left the family and relocated to America with his new wife and child.  The depth of the story hits on many levels.  Conor is frozen by his mother’s battle against cancer as each treatment is failing, with one last attempt made by her doctors; to inject her with the “elements” of the yew tree, a healing tree.  The three stories shared with Conor all have a twist, where the Monster seemingly helped the person who harmed others… but looking through another lens, was it really that way?  The monster explains the complications within human beings, “it doesn’t matter what you think, because your mind will contradict itself a hundred times each day….. your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary.  And your mind will punish you for believing both.”  Monsters can be so profound…  In the end, Conor is forced to tell his story to the Monster, or else, as the Monster notes, he won’t let him alone.  Letting go of the things you love can be freeing… for who?  I cry when I think about this story… thanks Kristin for suggesting it.  A read that will moisten your eyes.