Cover image for The knife of never letting goThe Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, narrated by Nick Podehl

Reviewed by: David Gibbons, Volunteer, Patron

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Audio-book

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is the book about?: Prentisstown is noisy. All males at this settlement on ‘New World’ have been afflicted with ‘Noise’, which is the uncontrollable ability to literally think out loud; including the youngest member of the settlement Todd Hewitt and his dog Manchee. Everybody can hear everyone else’s thoughts and there’s no hiding your own either. Coming upon his thirteenth year, Todd is expected to complete a ‘coming of age’ ceremony, finally becoming a man – the last boy in Prentisstown to do so.  Todd is the youngest member of Prentisstown as all of the women who helped settle this New World have passed away and no new children have been born. But one afternoon, Todd and Manchee come across a spot with no Noise. All is quiet. In discovering this patch of silence, Todd learns the truth about Prentisstown and the natives of New World and is forced to both fight and flee for his life.

My Review: The Knife of Never Letting Go doesn’t feel like a standard dystopia. While the world has a distinct alien feel, one could argue Patrick Ness’s story has more in common with tails written by Mark Twain than Isaac Asimov. The characters are very relatable and invite the reader to follow along with their ‘coming of age’ as they learn how this new planet functions, and sometimes dysfunctions. This is not to say for a moment this story is not deeply layered. Themes of gender divide, race relations and even autocratic despotism are highlighted throughout the book (as well as the whole trilogy).

In print Ness takes the bold approach to storytelling in The Knife of Never Letting Go by using an avant guard typeset when writing people’s ‘Noise’ to differentiate it from the running narrative. Masterful audio engineering is used to reproduce this technique in the audio book. This  along with veteran audio book performer Nick Podehl being at the top of his game navigating between Todd’s perspectives and his dog Manchee’s manic observations both elevate this book to the gold standard when it comes to audio book quality.

Book: 4/5
Audio: 5/5

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About FDL Reads

FDL ReadsWelcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!