The Knife Of Never Letting Go

The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness 

Title: The Knife Of Never Letting Go

Author: Patrick Ness 

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Adventure 

Published: October 22nd 2008, Walker 

Pages: 479

Blurb: 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.

“The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.”

Imagine living in a world where everyone you meet can hear your thoughts?

What if you have no way of knowing if what you’re hearing is the truth or a lie?

Todd is a twelve year old who lives in that world. He lives in Prentisstown, a town with a population of 146 men and 1 boy most of who are twisted and dark people.  Todd knows that even though you may hear the men’s noise you don`t really know if they are telling the truth or lies so in his words;

“I don`t know. I believe me.”

“Men lie, and they lie to theirselves worst of all.” 

Todd at twelve years old is the youngest in Prentisstown and has a month till his thirteenth birthday and more importantly till the day he truly becomes a man. Something he deeply wants and yet knows nothing about. Him being the only boy in Prentisstown leaves him lonely and friendless with only the company of his dog, Manchee.  One day both dog and boy find a hole in the noise somewhere there is no noise at all, something he believed to be impossible.

For most of Todd’s life he has been taught survival stuff like hunting and how to wield weapons because the Mayor has banned any books or module learning so in a way Todd isn`t developing his academic learning leaving him unable to read and at the same time he is not learning what is morally right and what is morally wrong.
 

We also meet Mayor Prentiss and from the very start you can tell this man is power and control hungry.  The Mayor has an entire army behind him and he’s moulding them to be brainwashed fools who fight for his every whim.

“It’s like he’s moulding a little army into shape, like he’s preparing himself for something, like he’s forging some kind of Noise weapon.”

Ben and Cillian are like fathers to Todd and once he tells them about the hole in the Noise they’re packing his bags and telling him to run.  And run he does.

Along the way he meets a girl, Viola. Their relationship is shaky at first because Todd things the Noise gem will kill her – the gem from which he is affected by. Later on we find out that it doesn`t kill women it doesn’t affect them at all. You also find out that Viola comes from a more developed country with more technology advanced things. Where they are travelling through space to get to New World.

All Todd’s life he has believed that the Spackle have destroyed everything and released the gem and started the war when in reality that is far from the truth. Spackle’s are aliens originally settled before the humans came. 

How far can you run with an army chasing you?

The entire town is after Todd because
"If one of us falls, we all fall."

Aaron and Prentiss Jr give Todd and Viola hell and they pop up at the most random times and really test Todd's limit at using the knife to kill a human being. 

"I'm the one who allows it and I'm the one responsible."

However there is one thing that pushes them to go to Haven and that is hope. 

"You've outrun an army and a madman and deadly illness and seen things most people will never see. How do you think you could have possibly come this far if you didn't have hope?"

The book also address's issues with how women are treated in different towns and how the truth is far more dangerous than anybody knows. 

The ending! Holy Shmoly that was not what I thought would happen!