A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls is a highly emotive and powerful novel about a boy - Conor O’Malley - dealing with his mother’s battle against terminal cancer. It addresses a young person’s responses to family trauma, loss, dreams and the truths we hide from ourselves. It’s also about the power of stories to help us explore and understand the world, and to reconcile ourselves to its sometimes harsh realities.

Ness’s narrative is accompanied by Jim Kay‘s striking images, which contribute to the novel’s dark atmosphere and explore some of what is unspoken in this heart-wrenching story.