The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
This is Ness’ first book for young adults and won the 2008 Booktrust Teenage Prize.
The story begins in a small town where women have been banished and only men remain. Due to a virus, everyone can hear each other’s thoughts: ‘Noise’.
Todd Hewitt, the last boy in the town, is on the brink of manhood. Forced one day to flee through a nearby swamp, he stumbles upon a patch of silence and – surprisingly – the first
girl he has ever seen. Despite their initial mistrust of each other, Todd and Viola team up to evade the men who are chasing him. As they flee he discovers much about himself, his family, about friendship and about prejudice.
The first in a series, this enthralling sci-fi/fantasy novel grips readers throughout, presenting them with tough questions about identity, ethics and the nature of truth.
Publisher: Walker Books
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Patrick Ness
Patrick grew up in the US and studied English Literature at the University of Southern California. He moved to London in 1999. Since then he has published four novels. The Knife of Never Letting Go won numerous awards, including the Booktrust Teenage Prize, the Guardian Award, and the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award. In January 2010 he won the 2009 Costa Book Award for the category children's book for The Ask and the Answer. He has also written a novel and a collection of short stories for adults, although he prefers not to categorise his writing in this way.
He taught creative writing at Oxford University and has written and reviewed for The Daily Telegraph, The TLS, The Sunday Telegraph and The Guardian.Patrick Ness was Booktrust's first-ever online writer in residence.
Read an interview with Patrick
http://www.patrickness.com/
Patrick Ness
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