The Knife of Never Letting Go

Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Series: Chaos Walking (1)
Author: Patrick Ness
Publisher: Candlewick Press (2009)
Genre: young adult, science fiction
Pages: 496

Description
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhleming, never0ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from th birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee--whose thoughts Todd can hear, too, whether he wants to or not--stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden--a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives. But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought? (from cover)

Reaction
Back in September, I attended Wordstock, a conference in Portland, OR, for writers. At it I got to see Patrick Ness speak, first at a panel and then at his own reading. I was blown away, and couldn't wait to get my hands on his books. Well, it took me two weeks, but I finally finished this first book in his Chaos Walking series, and I have to say, it definitely lived up to my expectations.

I knew I was in for good writing, a unique setting, and a powerful character voice; I didn't expect to be as physically and emotionally effected by the book. It should be said, this is not a happy feel-good book. You really get attached to these characters, who are dealing with some really rough shit, and when they get hurt--well, it makes you mad. The ending is especially frustrating, because it leaves off at a cliffhanger. I actually had to read a few chapters of another book just so I could relax enough to fall asleep.

In addition to having a very strong character-voice, The Knife of Never Letting Go has amazing pacing. If I taught a writing class, I would use this as am example. This is how you pace a thrilling, gripping story, without exhausting your readers. There are quiet moments in the book, here and there, but for the most part it's running, running, running. The action scenes are painful and powerful. The sad scenes are heart-wrenching. All-in-all, this is really just a great book.

Design
Although I personal prefer the original British cover, the cover I have here is not bad. It doesn't look particularly young adult though, which really seems appropriate to this book. There are some great visual elements in the interior, specifically how they depict Noise. The designers clearly took the book's content into consideration, and did a great job.

Appeal
Although this is technically a young adult book, I think it will appeal a lot to adult readers of sci fi and rougher fantasy. It will crossover very well, almost seamlessly, since the content is on the graphic side (at least violence-wise). So while the title and cover don't scream YA, that's perfectly ok for this book.

Final Rating

5/5 and I'm desperate for more.

Liar

Title: Liar
Author: Justine Larbalestier
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2009)
Genre: young adult, contemporary fiction, crossover
Pages: 376

Description
Micah will freely admit she's a compulsive liar, but that may be the one honest thing she'll ever tell you. Over the years she's fooled everyone: her classmates, her teachers, even her parents. And she's always managed to stay one step ahead of her lies. That is, until her boyfriend dies under brutal circumstances and her dishonesty begins to catch up with her. But is it possible to tell the truth when lying comes as easily as breathing? (jacket cover)

Reaction
Liar is a head-scratcher from begining to end; just when you think you've got it all figured out, something changes, and you realize you still have no idea. No spoilers now, but there's a big twist about half way through that throws the story potentially out of one genre and into another, but by the end even that twist is up for debate.

The most powerful thing about this book is that it's told in first person, as a confessional account from Micah. She promises she'll never lie to you, but yet she admits lying to you. Instead of chapters, Micah's narrative is divided by themes (Before, After, Family History, and so forth) which wrap over and around each other. It flows the way a conversation or a journal does; rough, frank, unfolding organically.  It's definitely a page turner, and I think one of the best, genre crossover books I've read in awhile. If ever there was an unreliable narrator worthy of discussion, Micah is one.

Design:
Before this book was released, there was a big scandal over the cover, which actually led to the original dust jackets being removed from the books and replaced with new covers before shipping out.  The problem with the old cover wasn't about design, but about the use of a seemingly-white girl on a book clearly about a black girl (Micah's racial identity comes up time and again in the book). Bloomsbury actually did a special photoshoot for the new cover, and I personally love it.

I've included the original cover here, to the right, so you can compare. It really was a good design, albeit ill-chosen, and I'm glad they were able to keep the same visual qualities in the new version.

The interior design of the book is also very well done. There's a lot of white space used, and it's clearly devided up into parts. It has a fresh, clean feel to it. There are also divider pages (the book is broken down by Part I, Part II, etc.) which use the same graphic as the back of the book; the words "I will not tell a lie" repeated in sketchy text over and over again. It's a constant reminder that you can't trust what Micah says.

Final Rating:

5/5 This book changed how I think about character and narrative.