A Monster Calls

This is a Young Adult book, and usually when I say that, it also means I'll give the book a little more leeway for being a bit shorter, or simpler of plot, or lighter of concept, than books intended for Adults. In this case however, that's definitely not needed. Yes, it's a shorter length and a quick read; but the topics the book deals with are definitely not light or easy, and the structure of the book also is many layered and it will take you a while to figure out exactly what's going on, if indeed you ever fully do.

On the surface, it's about Conor, a kid whose mother is undergoing harsh cancer treatments. His father moved away to America and remarried so it's Conor helping his mother through the difficult treatments and illness, with some help from his grandmother. Ever since his mother's diagnosis, Conor's been having a nightmare about trying to save her from something monstrous and failing, so when a monster shows up outside his window one night he's actually very surprised it isn't the monster from his dream. Instead it's the yew tree that grows by the church nearby, which they can see from their house and which his mother often comments on. The yew tree comes alive at night and visits Conor just past midnight; it tells him it's the embodiment of an ancient power, and it will tell him three stories, and then on the fourth time he must tell a story to the tree.

Through the book we alternate between Conor's problems at school with bullies, and with classmates treating him as invisible now because they don't know how to talk to someone whose mother is potentially dying; Conor's life at home helping his mother and trying not to resent his grandmother's intrusion; and the magical monstrous yew tree and the stories it tells.

How these three reconcile themselves, what story Conor tells, and how the yew tree helps Conor are all tied together but in ways that don't fully get explained until quite late in the book. It's sweet, and touching, and very sad in places, and it may be a Young Adult novel but it's definitely appropriate for anyone of any age to read, especially anyone who's lost a loved one or seen one suffering the way Conor's mother is. This was a beautiful, slightly mystical, thought-provoking story that reminded me a little of Neil Gaiman in books like The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (in its slightly unreal setting and many layers, and references to mythology).

The audiobook is read by actor Jason Isaacs who does a brilliant job, and is followed up by an interview between the author and Isaacs that's also worth a listen.