Summary (from Amazon):
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 honestly have no idea how this book was published all the way back in 2008 and I'm just discovering and reading it now. I absolutely love this novel. I was recommending it to a friend of mine, and the exact text I sent him was "so I'm reading this book called the Knife of Never Letting Go. It hurts my soul. You should read it." Having read that sentence, you could in theory click out of this webpage right now and still get the general gist of what I'm going to be saying about this book. I'd like for you to stick around for the rest of it, but in general that's what you need to know about this book. There will be minor spoilers beyond this point, but nothing that will ruin the story for you.
This was one of those books that reminded me of the way I used to read when I was a kid, when I'd get totally sucked into a story and barely be able to put the book down until I'd finished it. When I finished this book, in fact, I went straight to the nearest bookstore only to discover they had a copy of the third book, but not the second. I could have just bought it on Kindle, but since I started the series in hardcopy I wanted to finish it the same way. Naturally, there was no other choice but to call my dad and get him to go to the bookstore near his office on his way home, and then drop the books off to me. Which he actually did, which was pretty awesome.
This book is definitely a stay-up-too-late, reading-under-the-covers story. The plot is amazingly well-done, and I didn't find it lagged at any point. The Noise itself was an incredible addition to the story and both simplifies and complicates the plot. It's both fascinating and sinister, and overall incredibly fresh and original. The other worldbuilding, too, is masterful, and the backstory and information about the world is woven beautifully into the plot with very little info-dumping. And the plot twists. The plot. Twists. I saw the 'big reveal' coming ahead of time, but seeing Todd's reaction to it still crushed my heart. I have to fight to avoid spoiling right now, but in all honesty no matter how well you think you know what's coming and how well-prepared you think you are for it, nothing could prepare me for how much it would hurt to see Todd's world crashing down around him.
Part of this attachment I quickly developed to Todd was, I think, due to the unique style Ness uses. Todd is a mostly-illiterate farmboy, with little knowledge of reading or writing, and this is conveyed well throughout the novel without being distracting from the main story. For example, creatures becomes creachers, and words ending with -tion end with -shun. I, for one, didn't find this at all distracting from the main story and I felt it added more to it. We truly see the story through Todd's eyes, and the unique spelling and grammar choices really draw the reader further into Todd's worldview.
Todd wasn't the only character I found myself bonding with. Manchee was another, but he's an adorable dog so it's basically a given that I'd love him. To be honest, I didn't really even like Todd when he's first introduced. He was rude and gruff and mean to poor Manchee, but at the same time I found myself relating to him. His frustration and confusion is tangible and completely understandable, and his behaviour, while sometimes exasperating, makes sense for the circumstances. Todd is one of my favourite characters I've read in a while, and once Viola really develops more as a character later in the novel, she is also a very relatable and likeable character. Also, perhaps the unpopular opinion here, but for some reason I really love Cillian. I'm not sure why, but I took an immediate liking to him, which as I've said before, is like cheering every time your child is onstage in their school play even though their role is Tree #4. All of the characters in this book are incredibly lovable and relatable, and as a result they will all break your heart repeatedly.
Overall, this story and the accompanying trilogy are all amazing book. The story will suck you in, completely crush you, and then scrape you up off the ground and force you to keep reading. They can be a bit dark at times, so I'd recommend it for someone 14 and up or a bit younger if they're mature and can handle it. Other than that, I recommend this series to anyone who loves good characters, an original world, and a whole lot of soul-destroying plot twists.
5/5 stars!
