The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Reviewed by Hope M.
Grade 11

The Knife of Letting Go takes place on the planet New World, which became inhabited by human settlers twenty-three years before the start of the novel. Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, where he was taught that the native creatures of New World, the Spackle, released a disease onto the colonizers. This germ, called Noise, causes every individual to hear everybody else’s thoughts in words, pictures, colors, and sounds. Additionally, according to those in Prentisstown, all the women were killed by the illness. However, as Todd is nearing the day he finally becomes a man, he discovers a break from the relentless sounds. Upon finding this, the men who have taken care of Todd since his mother’s death tell Todd he must escape Prentisstown. When Todd realizes the source of the silence is a girl named Viola, he embarks on a long journey with many unanswered questions. Along the way, he finds that Prentisstown has an evil, twisted history, and somehow he is supposed to play a role in the town’s villainous plot.

I thought it was a fairly good book. The plot was definitely interesting, despite being predictable at some parts. The protagonists, Todd and Viola, were well-developed characters, and their dilemmas allow the reader to root for and empathize with them. As for the author’s style of writing, I think he overused certain writing techniques. While I’m sure he did so to emphasize moments of conflict, I personally felt his use of run-on sentences was excessive, distracting me from what was occurring in the story.

Regardless, I still enjoyed the book. Patrick Ness portrays a lesson of remembering who you are even when you’re surrounded by chaos, and I think that’s an important message. While there were aspects of the writing that I didn’t like, it’s certainly still good enough that I want to proceed with the series. For these reasons, I would recommend The Knife of Letting Go to anyone who enjoys dystopian novels with plenty of action and suspense. 

WIN A FREE COPY OF CHAOS WALKING: THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO! 
Stop by the Winter Park Library in the Teen Area, and fill out an entry form for your chance to win. CHAOS WALKING, starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, is currently in theaters!