A Monster Calls

Sometimes you find a book. Other times, the book finds you. I picked A Monster Calls because I'd seen such great reviews for it. I wasn't prepared for what lay ahead.

Based on the summary, it sounded like a cross between Pan's Labyrinth and The Book of Lost Things. Was the monster real, or was he a coping mechanism for his mother's illness? Reading this book ripped apart my soul. Connor is reluctant to acknowledge his mother's illness. “She's getting better.” That's at least what Connor believes. Reading through the lines, it's clear she's not.

Having recently lost my best friend of 14 years (my dog Casey) I was unprepared for this book. She was sick for a long time before she passed. It was just like Connor's mom. I could see the decline, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. How can you? There is nothing worse than watching the decline of someone you love, knowing there is nothing you can do about it.

She passed away 3 weeks ago. I cried my tears, but I was oddly at peace with her passing. I had been prepared for over a year. Every extra day was a blessing. Reading this book brought all the pain out. Everything I had hid. Everything I had denied. It all came out. I was Connor. My dog was his mom.

I flew through the book with tears in my eyes. After finishing it, I buried it in my pile of books to return. I didn't want to look at it again. I loved the drawings, but the story touched a piece of me I didn't want to revisit. Correction, don't want to revisit. Perhaps that makes it a great book. Perhaps my judgement is clouded. This book found me at the best and worst of times. It's amazing how life works.