'Every time I read Patrick Ness' work I find myself thinking he can't possibly write anything even better – yet I am always proven wrong'
First there was the Chaos Walking series, then A Monster Calls and now More Than This. Every time I read Patrick Ness' work I find myself thinking he can't possibly write anything even better – yet I am always proven wrong.
More than This is a fresh outlook on reality as Seth, the boy who drowns within the first few pages of the book, regains consciousness and returns to the suburb where he spent his childhood. He finds it deserted, and he wonders whether he has arrived in some apocalyptic personal hell; however as he explores more the terrifying truth begins to unravel, providing for an intriguing and intricate plot that demands – and succeeds in obtaining – full attention from the reader.
It is hard to describe the book without giving away the plot. Right from the beginning the reader is faced with such questions as: is he really alone? And why is Seth caught between two parallel realities, one world in which he leads a fractured family lifestyle and the other in which he assumes the role of a modern Robinson Crusoe, searching for why and how he survived his death?
Ness' writing style is worthy of mention as he crafts a great sense of mystery and intrigue for the reader as Seth is shown to involuntarily slip back and forth between the two realities he is caught up in. The narrative reflects a constant motion from the present to past, revealing terrible secrets of his life along the way. The reader is left feeling eager to read on, despite the relatively slow beginning, to discover whether this surreal world Seth is trapped in holds some purpose for him. Despite the unbelievable nature of the setting of the book, Ness successfully crafts a Young Adult masterpiece with undertones of social hypocrisy and misunderstanding that accompanies many teenagers' lives.
More Than This is a novel with a philosophical element, about instinct, friendship and optimism, all of which are able to overpower horror in the darkest of situations. A longer book, reaching almost five hundred pages, it is nevertheless a captivating novel with a quite rewarding ending sure to please many.
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