More Than This by Patrick Ness

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...

Reviewed by mary on

5 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 April, 2015: Finished reading
  • 9 April, 2015: Reviewed