More+than+This

//More than This// by Patrick Ness



I read this arc after getting to meet Patrick Ness at the Chicago ALA Conference. He was absolutely charming, and I have a great picture of us - me looking especially tickled to be in the same room with him after my obsession with the Chaos Walking trilogy...but back to the the book! This one was WEIRD, yet strangely compelling. At the start, Seth, the main character drowns. When he "wakes up" wrapped only in some weird silver wrapping - he is somehow alive, thirsty, hungry, and utterly alone in what appears to be his own back yard, but the neighborhood and town are empty, strange, scary, and he seems to be in a sort of tabula rasa/re-birth state; he doesn't know his name or where he is. When he sleeps, strange dreams trouble him as he begins to figure out who and where he is. The action picks up and intensifies, and in spite of the strange setting, I began to share Seth's feelings and felt very much a part of his bizarre journey. I can't exactly categorize the book - post-apocalyptic? Perhaps it's metaphorical? What's neat is that the setting is really what //**I**// wanted it to be, so the reader fully participates in the story because this piece is left to the imagination. Memories include his relationship with a guy he really loved and the angst that accompanies teen years as well as various relationships and issues that he comes to better understand - especially a horrendous tragedy that rocked the foundation of the Seth's family. I admit to not having read this one for a while - and part of it was read after MANY flight delays when I was exhausted, so apologies for this write-up and any errors I may have made! It would be an interesting addition to the list - something VERY different. Sadly, I'm not sure that teens will love this, but I'd still recommend it for the final ten. Lisa Houde, Rye Public Library

I like the story and the way the author leaves it up to the reader to imagine what is going on. The book is hard to categorize because it offers elements of mystery, paranormal, apocalyptic, teen issues. My worry is that teens will not get the story/like it. -Kelly Budd, Keene High

Seth wakes up, naked and alone, on the front path of the house he lived in as a boy. In his dreams, we get snippets of his life in California with his parents, brother, and friends, but that doesn't explain how he got to be in his seemingly abandoned hometown in England, or what has happened to him. Without giving anything away, I just have to say that this was a fascinating and unique perspective on a now-popular subject. The book was slow to start, while I figured out the format (the jump from Seth's present to his past was confusing to me, as it was meant to be, as it was for Seth himself), but then I was fascinated, and needed to know what was going on, what had happened, and what was going to happen. What held this one back from a 4 star review is the ending, which I also can't disclose. Great for boys and girls, teens and adults. -Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Sandown Public Library