THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO

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

In this dystopian, fantasy/sci-fi novel the protagonist is a 13-year old boy named Todd Hewitt. His people settled on a planet whose inhabitants struck out against them via biological warfare. As a result, all of the women died off and all that were left were the men and young boys. Todd is the youngest of this society and like everyone else he is doomed to hear the thoughts- “Noise”-of his fellow Prentisstown inhabitants and there “creachers.”

Whilst out on a swamp apple hunt with his faithful dog, Manchee, Todd suddenly comes across an intense silence. He inadvertently projects his encounter and is immediately packed away and sent into the swamp by his guardians, Ben and Cillian. He is immediately pursed by the seemingly unsinkable antagonist and Prentisstown’s pastor, Aaron.


Quite unexpectedly Todd finds himself hearing the profound silence he had come across earlier. He soon discovers that the lack of Noise radiates from a shipwrecked- as in spaceship- girl named Viola. Together they flee from Aaron and soon come across towns with both women and men and Todd’s world is forever thrown off kilter. He learns that there is a horrible secret the men in his hometown are keeping and they will not be stopped in their attempt to get him back.

Todd is a highly developed character and Ness’ detail to language provides a vivid voice the reader can hear in their heads as they follow Todd's journey into the unknown. An added boon is the attention to detail that is given to his and Viola’s relationship. These two characters form a strong bond via their will to survive and their hope for freedom that does not fall into the cliched genre of insta-love.

This book is a compelling and dark page turner that ends in a cliffhanger. Aside from the other books in this series, readers might enjoy reading Neal Shusterman’s Unwind for a similar heart-stimulating read.