For me Patrick Ness is Jekyll and Hyde ; not in the drinks a potions and turns evil type way (though I am really not sure what he gets up to in his spare time!) but more in the like him but don’t really like his books category.
His last series – the Chaos Walking trilogy won awards left right and centre but left me cold and I know a certain English teacher who visibly cringes at his name she dislikes his books so much!
But he does such nice things – he runs marathons for charity and with this latest book he is taking an idea from a lovely author; Siobhan Dowd, who died of cancer a couple of years ago and created a fascinating book; the proceeds of which will go to a charity in her honour.

So, now we come to the book. It is a curious mix of story, illustration and fantasy. We follow Conor’s journey of discovery and loss on learning of his mother’s illness.
It is an emotional book which will have you laughing and crying in the same page. – the book itself says it is “darkly mischevious and painfully funny”.
My problem with it was the main character who I could not connect with. I could empathise with his pain and reactions to the situation he found himself in but I could not warm to him as a character – perhaps we are not supposed to?

The book, as I mentioned, is illustrated and please do not think that just because a book has pictures in it it is a children’s book; this is definately a young adult fiction title. The pictures and dark and brooding and draw you in to the tale. (I actually wish more books made use of images in as clever a way as A Monster Calls.)
I shall leave it up to you to find out who or what the monster actually is or even if there is more than one.
What I would say is please get yourself a hankie or two as you will need it.
Mrs B