[review] The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking #1) by Patrick Ness (2008)

Tags

book, book review, boys, dystopia, dystopian, murder, violence, young adult

The Knife of Never Letting Go (2008)
by Patrick Ness
Paperback Edition
Publication Date: September 9th, 2008 (1st Edition)
Publisher: Candlewick
Buy a copy via Amazon.
Synopsis from Goodreads.

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?

My Thoughts:
The Knife of Never Letting Go is a spine-chilling, suspenseful adventure complete with crashed space ships, crocodiles, and a talking dog. 480 pages never went by so fast. I was expecting a philosophical read about morality or social commentary, but I ended up disappointed. While I thought The Knife of Never Letting Go touched upon many themes like women’s rights, human interaction, privacy, collectivity, and violence–none of it was fleshed out enough, or made sense. However, I applaud Ness’s innovative story telling, and his character development doesn’t fail to impress: especially Todd’s relationship with his dog, Manchee.

Are The Villains All Cyborgs?
Poor Todd is constantly being chased by hostile, evil men that don’t seem to be capable of dying. The guy gets chomped on by crocodiles, thrown in a swamp to drown, and his nose bitten off by a dog–and he is STILL standing. WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT? How this guy is human is beyond me. I expected to see electrical wires bursting from his wounds at any moment.