I’m using this for my Coming to the Big Screen square on my book bingo.
In this illustrated novel, Conor accidentally conjurs an enormous monster with a penchant for storytelling to defend him against a larger, more dangerous monster.
Cancer. The larger, more dangerous monster is cancer. I promise this doesn’t ruin the story for you. You’d figure it out within the first chapter anyway. I was a little bummed at first, since the real monster being the threat of losing a loved one to disease felt a little cliche. But I’m glad I stuck it out, because WOW was that ever satisfying.
You’ll notice I call this an illustrated novel rather than a graphic novel. I think the distinction is important, because while a graphic novel is like a more developed, long-form comic book, this is really a prose story interspersed with illustrations a la Brian Selznik’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Jim Kay’s work with these illustrations is flawless, relying heavily on shadow to control focus and tone. I also appreciate that the artwork doesn’t just complement the text; it’s a vital part of the story itself. It provides the sense of movement Patrick Ness’s straightforward tone sometimes lacks, and there’s plenty of darkness to communicate Conor’s mental state.
One aspect of Ness’s prose I really appreciated was his focus on physical happenings instead of inner thoughts. It’s a textbook example of showing, not telling. If this is something you’re working on in your own writing (most of us are), A Monster Calls makes for a masterful tutorial. Every inch of heartbreak is shown, not described, and that makes it hurt so much worse.
And boy howdy is there ever heartbreak. I mean, here’s a kid who’s being haunted by a monster and isn’t even scared because his mom is dying of cancer and that’s way scarier. The theme isn’t that cancer is a scary monster like I worried it would be; it’s really about selfishness and letting go. There’s so much heart and so much bleakness that I nearly cried THREE SEPARATE TIMES on the bus.
Of course, it doesn’t come without its weaknesses. Sadly, the nightmares didn’t quite feel nightmarish. Maybe it’s because the illustrations are the biggest source of darkness in this book, but you can take them in square inch by square inch instead of in one big overwhelming gulp. But holy crap, this movie will be terrifying.
Anyway, watch the movie for scares (probably), read the book for tears (definitely).
Liz Gabbitas 