We all have monsters that haunt us. They can come to us in our dreams or they can take a physical form, traveling into our bodies and filling us with darkness. Some live in the dark, damp places in our bedroom, while others sit greedily in our guts, only so eager to awake during times of intimate weakness.
Over time we come to expect our monsters to visit us. The night before an interview, the moment the phone rings at an unexpected hour, the second we finally drift off to sleep…there they sit – waiting to pounce. But sometimes we get a monster that is unexpected, one that is there to help us see things clearly, understand a difficult situation, or even accept what we can’t change. When Conor is visited by one such unexpected monster in the small novel, A Monster Calls, he begins a journey that will change his life forever.
Conor was getting used to the scary monster that plagued his nightmares. The darkness, the screaming, the wind…this monster brought with it everything Conor was afraid of and everything he was scared to admit to himself. It haunted him and tortured him with truths he didn’t want to acknowledge and ultimatums he didn’t want to face. But this monster only came at night…only visited him in his dreams. He knew he could wake up and the monster would be gone.
But when Conor is visited by different monster, one that’s ancient and wild, one that comes and goes on free will and one that visits Conor during all hours of the day and night, well that one has one goal in mind. He’s not there to scare Conor, rather to take something from him…perhaps the most dangerous thing of all…for the monster is seeking the truth.
The truth of what, you ask? Well, you’re just going to have to read the book and find out! A small yet significant novella, A Monster Calls is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about love, loss, and acceptance. With amazing illustrations and elegant prose that will pull at your heartstrings, this book is a powerful and sobering look into the things that scare humankind most of all.
I’m gonna be honest for a second…It’s gonna make you cry…probably a lot. For some it may be cathartic. For others, it may make you call family and friends you haven’t talked to in a while, just to tell them you love them. It might even open your eyes a little and help you better understand something you couldn’t understand before. It’s a short read, easily finished in a day or so, and one that will haunt you, like a monster, for the rest of your life.
Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.
The Hob-bee Hive 