I must open this review with a disclaimer: I love Patrick Ness as an author. I think his Chaos Walking trilogy was completely brilliant and I talk it up to students whenever I get a chance. A few years ago I read A Monster Calls and I was ugly crying by the end. Lots of books move me, but few make me shed real tears.
That all being said, I absolutely could not wait to get my hands on his latest YA title. The book opens with a drowning. Seth is being washed out to sea and he cannot stop these events. It's brutal and devastating. The prologue ends with two simple words: "He dies."
But then, he awakens. But he's not still in the ocean. He's at home - but a home he hasn't lived in for many years. There appears to be no sign of any other life around. Where is Seth? Is he in Hell? Purgatory?
So begins More Than This. I was completely engrossed in the first part of this book. As Seth explores his surroundings, we also get flashbacks to the events leading up to his drowning. There are many secrets, and things Seth doesn't quite want to admit to himself.
As the book progresses, Seth unexpectedly finds two other children in this place with him, and they are being pursued by mysterious "driver" in a black van. Where are they, exactly?
When the revelation finally comes, I was shocked. Not because it was such a surprising twist of events, but because I was so, so disappointed. Having loved Ness's earlier books so much, I was let down that this was the "twist" he chose for the book. I don't want to give away too many spoilers, but I thought, "Really? Are you kidding me?" We've seen this all before in other movies and books. Truth be told, I quit reading it for a while. It sat on my coffee table, half-finished, for a couple of weeks.
I finally felt guilty and forced myself to finish it. I didn't really buy into the "twist" and felt there were too many gaps in logic that he didn't explain. Also, the quasi-uplifting moral at the end came across as a little heavy-handed and obvious.
I still love Patrick Ness and will look forward to his other books. This one just didn't quite do it for me.
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