The Knife of Never Letting Go

Prentisstown isn’t like other towns, it is a town without women and where men can listen to thoughts of others. Men hear each other’s secrets, memories and thoughts which is known as the “Noise.” Young Todd Hewitt is about to become a man at the age of fourteen, his parents died of illnesses, according to the two men raising him Ben and Cillian. Todd enjoys going to the swamp to collect apples because it is the only place where he can hear himself and get away from other men’s “Noise”. One day when Todd is out with his dog Manchee, he encounters a pocket of silence. On the way home Todd walks through town like he normally does and the men read his “Noise” and it reveals what he found in the swamp. As soon as Todd returns home and explains to Ben what happened, Ben sends him away with a packed bag containing his mother’s journal and a hunting knife. Todd and Manchee are sent away from the only place they’ve ever known. At the beginning of his travels Todd meets a girl (the silence in the swamp), comes across towns filled with men, his dog Manchee dying at the hands of Aaron, women and children, everything that he has have ever knows is changed. Todd has no idea on why the men of Prentisstown are after him and will stop at nothing to get him back.

This wasn't a bad book but it did take me a few chapters to get used to Todd's language and grammar. I did feel that it dragged a little bit. I like how the friendship between Todd and Viola develops and they both have the will to survive and search for freedom. They are very well-developed characters, with a strong sense of hope and will power. This book is a suspenseful read. 

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

Special Note: This is the first book to the Chaos Walking series. Here is a link to the author's website: Patrick Ness