The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P.  (2008).  The knife of never letting go.  Boston, MA:  Candlewick Press. 

Summary: Todd Hewitt lives in Prentisstown, a small town in the New World consisting of 146 men and 1 boy: Todd.  It is thirty days before his 13^th birthday when he will become a man, even though he does not know the true meaning of this.  He has be raised by adopted parents Ben and Cillian, and has been taught that ten years before his birth, the settlement was established, but then aliens called Spacks attacked and released the Noise Germ which killed all women and half the men. They are surrounded by noise: voices, moaning, singing, crying, thoughts and pictures by not only the people, but even the animals and plants. In the swamp, Todd discovers quiet, and sensing danger, Ben and Cillian send him away to search for safety with a map, his mother's diary and a knife. He meets a girl named Viola who was the quiet he heard and we discover she was from a crashed scouting expedition sent by a large spaceship bringing thousands more settlers.  As Todd and Viola continue their adventure to find other settlements, the preacher from town, Aaron, follows as he is determined his death at the hands of Todd will raise him to sainthood. After several threatening encounters, Viola stabs and kills Aaron and the knife disappears off a ledge, which saves Todd from the murderous fate of the other men. Viola is then shot and gravely wounded.  As Todd carries her into the city of Haven to find help, he sees it has been taken over by the evil Mayor Prentiss, who has now proclaimed himself to be the President of the New World.

Commentary: This is a fast paced science fiction novel written in first personal narrative by Todd.  It holds your interest from the first page to the last with vivid descriptions of the characters and the New World settings. While it is often violent with many of the beloved characters being killed, including Todd's loyal dog Manchee, it is also endearing to know the innocence of Todd and Viola and their developing love as they search for a better life. The language used in the book is engaging. Since all books in Prentisstown were burned years before, most of the people are illiterate, so many of the words are spelled phonetically.  The description of the ever intruding Noise is very original as it is portrayed in larger letters, often overlapping and jumbled. There is also a wonderful use of symbolism, as with Todd's knife representing power, which is lost at the death of Aaron.  At the end of the book, Todd relinquishes all this power to President Prentiss in his desire to save Viola.  The ending is somewhat disappointing, but is obviously a lead into the next book of the trilogy.  This story is appropriate for middle school to adults, and one can't help but envision an upcoming movie series.

Connections: The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness and Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness