More Than This

by Patrick Ness

From two-time Carnegie Medal winner Patrick Ness comes an enthralling and provocative new novel
chronicling the life – or perhaps afterlife – of a teen trapped in a crumbling, abandoned world.

A boy called Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he is here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighbourhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust and completely abandoned. What's going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this...

• ISBN10: 1406350486
• ISBN13: 9781406350487
• Publish Date: 1 May 2014 (first published 5 September 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Walker Books Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

People see stories everywhere. That’s what my father used to say. We take random events and we put them together in a pattern so we can comfort ourselves with a story, no matter how much it obviously isn’t true. We have to lie to ourselves to live. Otherwise, we’d go crazy.

— A philosophical science fiction discussing existentialist ideas, throwing in questions about life, death and the meaning of it all, without ever really answering them. And that’s the beauty of this book.

[mary]

http://fiercefolly.com/book-review-more-than-this/

More Than This captivated me right at the beginning. The unknown, suspense, and mystery that was introduced kept me hooked to the book from beginning to end. I never wanted this book to end so I took my time reading it. I probably could have read it all in one sitting, but I really wanted to savor every single word. Patrick Ness really has a way with captivating and drawing the reader in. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers.

I loved the message of this novel. I think we all tend to forget that there is more in life. Every day we go about our daily tasks and have all this hurt that is constantly grinding away at us each day. We all have those moments where we feel defeated and lost. And sometimes we just cannot see past that moment and we feel helpless. We tend to hide ourselves in this misery without seeing the hope. Patrick Ness really shows how misery envelopes most people in this story, but he also gives them hope.

The story is about Seth. Seth wakes up after drowning in a dusty and broken down world unsure of how he got there. It becomes a world of questions, fear, and memories. A world where he appears to be alone. Seth struggles to survive and hunt for food and supplies in the nearby town that is completely abandoned. One day he stumbles upon two young people, Regine and Tomasz. I loved the relationship formed between these unlikely three people, it is hilarious and heartwarming all at once. They soon discover more to this world and start uncovering some answers to why they are there. I don’t want to give too much away because as you read the book everything shifts and shakes changing the whole picture.

The best part about this book is how Patrick Ness has a way of telling us everything and nothing all at once. I really liked the ambiguous nature of the story, and the ending fit all too well with this feeling without being extremely too vague or open ended. Overall it was a very well crafted story that is honest, dark, and yet full of life. It is beautiful in showing human depravity.

[pamela]

First this book was 28 days
Then it became The Matrix
Then it became Total Recall
Then Great Expectations
Then Sophie's Choice

Finally it turned in to something original, but by that time I'd already gone through every sci-fi pop culture trope to date that I'd stopped caring or even noticing.

I've heard amazing things about Patrick Ness, so to say I was disappointed by this book is an understatement. I can clearly see what a talented writer he is so I couldn't mark it as a bad book, but I found it to be bland and unoriginal.

I have been assured that Patrick Ness' other works are excellent so I'm going to try not to be put off by this one.

[Stephanie]

This book was amazing. Not what I expected at all and maybe that's part of the reason why I enjoyed this so much. This was my first book by Ness, so clearly I need to read more by him.

[nannah]

I'm crying as I write this. Suicide trigger warning for the actual review, and book triggers to follow.

As someone who has been in some pretty dark places myself, I feel as though this book is a personal letter to people fighting depression, suicidal thoughts, or any kind of hardship disguised as a YA fiction novel. Patrick Ness doesn't communicate this through blatant dialogue or some preaching speech tacked on at the very end, but he lets you know by making you experience Seth's journey. Understanding how Seth's attitude changes from only focusing on how hard life seemed for him to realizing, "I wanted so badly for there to be more. I ached for there to be more than my crappy little life. And there was more. I just couldn't see it."

That's exactly what it's like and how it feels.

It's beautiful that Patrick Ness included characters like Seth, Regine, and Tomasz (and even Seth's parents), who were each fighting something different in their own ways.

Okay, I'll start the actual review, I guess. I should begin by saying this book is intensely triggering, but the characters talk about these experiences (because what's triggering is mostly in flashback scenes) and how they have affected them. I can't begin to explain how important that is. These things aren't thrown in for dramatic effect or for shock value. They mean something. However, it's better to be safe than triggered, so here's the list:

-suicide
-domestic abuse
-homophobia
-fat shaming

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, if I were to describe this book in one sentence, it would be: wait, I wasn't expecting THAT. Everything is twists and surprises, but it doesn't get exhausting. It feels like this entire book was almost an experiment. Every time I finally felt comfortable with the pacing or the concepts or the world, the entire novel would shift on me, and I didn't know where I was anymore. It wasn't annoying or too confusing to continue; it was exciting and something I've never experienced before.

Patrick Ness was a genius to write this in three parts, because each part seems almost like a completely different genre of book. The first part is like a post-apocalyptic story. Until the last page or so, Seth is the only character. Sure, there are other characters interacting with him in flashback scenes, but he's the only character in the "present." He dies, wakes up in an unfamiliar place, and tries to live in it and figure it out. It's almost like the game Amnesia: the Dark Descent (shh, allow me this bit here), where the protag is bumbling around, confused and frightened, reliving these painful memories, and then suddenly the the monster shows up. And it's the worst experience ever because he's been alone the entire time leading up to that point.

The second part is more like a sci fi novel, and I don't want to delve too much into this one, because I don't want to spoil it for anybody. What I will say is that it's like a sci fi novel you think you're familiar with, but Patrick Ness keeps you from being too comfortable. He always will. Don't try to think you've got things figured out. He'll just laugh at you, I'm sure.

The third part is more similar to the second than the first, but it seems more like a coming-of-age novel than anything with Seth's growth and the way he accepts his situation.

And that ending! As I said, don't try to think you've got things figured out! There isn't a definitive "ending" here, but it didn't annoy me as much as most open endings do. The whole book is open for each reader's personal interpretation, and I think that's beautiful, because I think this book in general is very personal. It also allows people to supply their own ending, depending on who they are and what they've learned/needed from the book.

A major reason this book is so dang successful in connecting with readers is the characters, I think. Because each of them have their own major obstacles to overcome and pasts to accept, SO many people who feel unrepresented or who don't feel included in real life can relate to these main characters (who are minorities or deal with experiences that people in similar situations can connect with). The protagonist, Seth, is gay; Regine is a heavy black girl who openly and vocally challenges black stereotypes; Tomasz is a Polish immigrant who speaks broken English and deals with prejudices of his own. And this is all just surface stuff, who they are goes so much deeper, and it's heartbreaking how these characters can relate to so many different people. I'm trying not to project too much of my own experiences on this . . . I'm trying. Continuing on . . .

These characters become literallythe oddest trio. It's evident in how they interact with each other, too, but that of course makes for the most interesting interactions. I honestly believe these three are the most beautiful and wonderful characters I've read in a long time. They make the book work--the book is literally shaped by them (and Tomasz is a shining beacon of light when everything goes dark. I will love him forever!).

Anyway, read this book. Read it.

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2013/10/more-than-this-by-patrick-ness.html
Thank you to Walker Books.

If I could use one word to describe More Than This, it would be phenomenal. This was my introduction to Patrick Ness and I can't believe I've waited so long to experience his brilliance. The story is a young adult post apocalyptic, science fiction thriller that places the reader in Seth's world, and what a frightening world that is. The plot is intricate and well paced, creating a vivid landscape of desolation and isolation. Seth is a brilliant and well developed character who carries the weight of his family on his shoulders and it seems as though he may have been the only one, his mother especially having blamed Seth for what is clearly her own mistake. Through Seth's dreams, we see glimpses of his circle of friends, and the life of a teen in love, but is scared to tell the world.

I absolutely loved Tomasz, or Tommy as he is affectionately known. The small Polish immigrant holds the group of three unlikely allies together. He's experienced the hardest life of them all, but with his broken English, slightly off kilter phrasing and antidotes, he adds a lightness and comedy to the storyline, which breaks up the intensity.

More Than This is the type of book to ruin you for all others. Patrick Ness has constructed a story so masterful that both teen and young adult readers will be blown away.