Written on Nov 17 2015
Edited on 25 June 2018
Rate: 5/10
Heavy
The author comments on the first page that the initial ideas of the story are originally from another author named Siobhan Dowd, who unfortunately passed away from cancer before writing the book herself. By knowing that she actually suffered cancer made me sympathise the characters more.
About one-third into the book I thought this was a plain kids book (well it is a children literature). Personally, I prefer novels that get straight to the point (or just life in general) so I wasn't impressed. But I persisted since a Booktuber strongly recommended the book, and I'm glad I finished the book.
Lessons learned
There are two major lessons I've learnt from this book (which the monsters weren't attempting to achieve *wink*):
1. There is no good or bad person as we are all "inbetween"
The dual nature of human morality is why I could empathise. Conor's desire for his mother to survive is undoubted but wishing her to go to her last resting place confronts the reality. Death of his mother will put an end to his endless agony at home (not necessarily at school), as he won't have to see his mother in excruciating pain everyday. Yet, in reality this harsh truth is rarely spoken of and has conflicting views (much like the debate on Euthanasia).
2. Accept and face the truth
Conor was able to lets go of the monster by accepting and facing the truth (ugh "let it go" was stuck in my head when I was reading the last page, damn it Frozen!). I did appreciate the use of graphics, especially the drawing of the monster. It allowed me to vividly imagine it in my head (the perks of reading picture books).
When the true identity of the monster was revealed, it caught me by a surprise. In the beginning, I thought the monster was a form of Conor's imagination or a dream (I've heard that there is an actual disorder that people fall asleep out of nowhere, I may be wrong). I had another guess that the monster was a depiction of 'depression' but it was proven wrong when he showed everyone that he is NOT invisible. That scene was brutal though (that is why kids, don't bully your peers because some day you will get your ass whooped). In the end it was revealed that the monster was actually (spoiler alert) an internal conflict within himself (technically the PG version of Black Swan the movie? I haven't watched it but that's what I heard). It seems like the author has portrayed the dark and untamed side of Conor by utilising extended metaphor of the monster.
Personal opinion
The quest to discover the "nightmare" was what kept me going, and I admit that the truth behind it (fourth tale) shocked me. I was confused initially (is this a murder novel???) but after the monster's explanation I could completely understand Conor's perspective.
Being honest, I didn't like the ending. Although it was predictable I was going to forgive it if it closed off nicely, but it didn't manage to deliver the emotions as wholeheartedly as it could have.
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