First in Series

Finished September 29
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
This is the first in a series called Chaos Walking, and Ness's first book for teens. It is a gripping story and I could barely put it down. Todd Hewitt is almost 13, and on this birthday in a month he will become a man. Todd lives on New World, and ever since the settlers of Prentisstown were infected with the Noise germ, Todd hears everything the men in town think and they hear his thoughts. The animals are also affected and Todd hears the farm animals, the wild beasts and his dog, Manchee, as well. As he gets closer to his manhood, he senses that people are hiding things from him. When he encounters something unusual out in the swamp, he tries to keep his thoughts around it quiet until he can talk to the two men who brought him up, Ben and Cillian. This new element forces Todd to flee the town with his dog with little knowledge of what awaits him out in the rest of his world.
Todd's confusing feelings and the stories he has been told about his world affect how he reacts to what he encounters in it, and sometimes that is not a good thing. As he meets others and shares his story, he struggles to reach what he thinks will be a safe haven.
This story had lots going on, and lots of emotional situations, and Todd is a very likable character, even when he makes mistakes. He grows a lot here and I am eagerly looking forward to the next in the series.