The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P. (2014). The Knife of Never Letting Go. London: Walker Books.

In this desolate world, Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown. Prentisstown is not like any other towns and the one thing that makes it different is that there are only men in the town. No women live in the town and Todd is under the impression of the disease that killed all the women in the town. Also, everyone can hear your thoughts which is overwhelming and there's no end to the Noise. Every secret is know and there's no privacy at all. Todd has a month left until his birthday and he's always believed there wasn't a place where the Noise didn't stop until he unexpectedly stumbles into a spot of complete silence. He knows its not possible not to have noise, but the more he explores the more he begins to think that the Prentisstown members have been lying to him. The lies are one thing but now everyone want's to find the cause which happens to be a girl. Now Todd, his dog Manchee, and the silent girl must run or else face the Prentisstown mayor.

I must admit this book was hard to read at first and eventually I listened to the audible version of it. It started off real slow, but then it's full of action and a lot of questioning why this was happening to Todd. Todd seems to be a stubborn child and is reluctant to believe his town members and even his own housemates are lying to him. I also enjoy the comic relief that his dog Manchee provides and his bond with his dog is amazing to see. I must admit there's a part where Manchee ends up dying saving both Todd and the girl, and that part reminds me of Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls where Little Ann and Old Dan save Billy from a mountain lion. That part always gets me and I tear up every time. I suppose this is where literature like this story teaches us empathy and human feelings.