2015
The monster in the title takes many forms. It is an ancient
spirit in a Yew tree, a nightmare, cancer, death, illness, humanity, a caring grandmother,
an almost always absent father, a group of bullies and the protagonist himself,
Conor.
The concept was created by Siobhan Dowd, but sadly she died
of breast cancer before she could start writing. The task was taken on by
Patrick Ness but he made no attempt to replicate Dowd's voice.
This is a brave novel. It tackles many young adult themes –
peer pressure, family relationships, bullying
and school. There is a touch of the paranormal too in the story. It also brings
us face-to-face with death and illness; some of the descriptions of Conor's mother's
illness are quite graphic.
Conor is not altogether likeable yet Ness manages to make us
empathise with him.
In the end, it is up to the reader to decide exactly who or
what the monster is. For sure, it brings
some wisdom and poses many questions.
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