A Monster Calls, by Patrick Ness

 

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"Stories are wild creatures", the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?"

Sometimes a book comes along that is so beautifully written, haunting and true that when it's finished, even though it has broken your heart, you can't help but hug it tight and feel so, so grateful (it's not just me that hugs books. Right?).

A Monster Calls is a story - a fable almost - of grief and rage, courage and loss. It tells the story of Conor, who's mother is dying of cancer, who's father is absent, having moved to America with his new wife and child and who is bullied mercilessly at school (by a particularly sociopathic child who reminded me strongly of Kevin from We Need to Talk About notoriety).

One night, at 12:07am, a monster arrives at Conor's window. It has walked the earth for many years, this time taking the form of a yew tree and is here to tell three stories...and to hear Conor tell one. The truth.

(I should mention that the Bea was fully supervised while I was lost in this story!)

As Conor deals with the changing, and often cruel, world around him, the Monster visits, again and again, and helps him to at last confront his own true story.

This is an utterly heartrending tale - I was speechless when I finished and so moved. It is a stunning exploration of grief and the rage that comes with it - and of learning the painful lessons of loss and letting go. I often dog-ear books to remember favourite phrases and this story was so beautifully and lyrically written that my copy is now dog-earred from front to back.

"Stories are important", the monster said. "They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth."

This story has shot straight into my top three list and I can't wait to see the movie, due for release on 26 January (even though the preview alone is enough to make me weepy).

Patrick Ness created this story from an idea that the late Siobhan Dowd had told her publisher. Knowing that this story was itself built from loss, and the carrying on of someone's imagination, made this story all the more beautiful for me.

A Monster Calls is heavy going at times, but beautiful, and ultimately uplifting. I would suggest it for readers twelve and up. In fact, it's one of those tales that I think everyone should read. Maybe it's just that I enjoy these kinds of books, but I've always disliked the idea of "YA". As Patrick Ness notes himself, in an essay about A Monster Calls,

"a good story should be for everyone - a children's book must be for young people first, but, if you tell a story that works for a child it's got to be a good story because children are no fools".

One small note: I have been so lucky in my life not to have know the loss of a beloved immediate family member at a young age, and with that ignorance in mind, I'd suggest proceeding with caution in buying this for someone who has lost (or is losing) someone close.

Available at all good bookstores - there is also an exquisite illustrated version that I plan on getting my mitts as soon as I can.

The Book and the Bea x

Snail and Turtle Rainy Days, by Stephen Michael King

So said Lemony Snicket about grief, in the very first chapter of A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Heartbreaking, and so, so true, this line always catches in my throat when I read it.

A few months ago, a friend of mine lost their best friend. It was totally unexpected and shattering, as all loss is.

My own words failed me - what is there to say in a time of grief? "I'm sorry", is true but too small for the scale of such loss. "Let me know how I can help", is empty of any real support. And what help is there really anyway? Nothing eases pain like that, except time. And even time can only do so much.

So I did what I always do in times of sadness. I went to the bookstore. But what to buy? Every grown up book fell short or felt too dismissive. Do I choose something off topic as a distraction? Would a book about grief only make it worse?

And then I found Snail and Turtle Rainy Days.

Bea's beautiful Granny bought her the first in this series, Snail and Turtle Are Friends, that tells the lovely and whimsically illustrated story of a friendship between Snail and Turtle - who have different interests and passions but are the very best of friends anyway.

In this sequel, Snail and Turtle Rainy Days, Turtle wakes up, excited to play in the rain, but soon finds that Snail has hidden away in his shell and won't come out. As rain falls, day after day, Turtle patiently waits, holding an umbrella and building a warm, safe, shelter, to help his friend emerge again. 

This is an incredibly sweet and gentle story about friendship and sadness and what it means to support someone - it said everything that my words couldn't. Turtle doesn't try to endlessly cajole snail from his shell with cheery talk but instead waits, patiently standing by his friend's side until he is ready, at last, to face the day. 

Although a simple story about friendship, I think this is a beautiful book for anyone that has suffered loss, or who is fighting a battle with depression. It's a sweet book for children too (toddler and up) as a way of exploring sadness and grief.

Although it doesn't directly talk about loss or great sadness, it does communicate what it is to feel sad, alone and grey. The ending (though a little abrupt!) is ultimately cheerful and uplifting, a reminder that one day, if not today or even tomorrow, things will seem a little brighter.

Thinking of everyone that knows how grief feels, and sending love and hope (and a Turtle umbrella) today. 

The Book and the Bea x