Release by Patrick Ness
I'll be honest and say this is the first Patrick Ness book I've ever owned and read. I had no idea what style of writing to expect, but I knew it had to be good based off reviews from his other books. I've put myself on a book buying ban right now because I have way too many books to read but I can't wait to get stuck in more Ness!
Release by Patrick Ness (ARC copy)
2017
Pages: 287
Source: Competition
Synopsis
Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course.
The Short
Adam Thorn's day couldn't get any worse or any better. So much happens within the span of the day in which this book is set and it's a whirlwind adventure. This novel flicks between Adam's story and the story of the ghost who emerges from the lake. It's a mix between contemporary and fantasy but somehow it works seamlessly. It took me a few chapters to get used to the mix of genres but I quite enjoyed it towards the end. Ness provided a story which delves into trying to find yourself in a world where getting lost is so easy. There's a really great moral behind it too... once you 'release' all the negative you can move on to the bigger and better things waiting for you.
The Long
This book is one of the few contemporary novels I've read - I'm really trying to fix this though! For this reason, I went in not really knowing what to expect and was expecting a full on contemporary setting. How I was proved wrong! Ness has seamlessly collided two genres - contemporary and fantasy - to create a story which blends together so well. I will honestly say that it took me two or three chapters to get used to the significant shift between the two plot points but I quickly grasped what was happening and went with the flow.
Each chapter flicks between Adam and the ghost who has emerged from the lake. Both characters have their own storyline which is loosely linked to an occurrence at the start of the novel. Adam's story is full of angst, love, loss and the unknown. He isn't sure what to expect from his day but there is a sense of dread hanging over him throughout the novel. Things seem to get worse and worse for him as event after event takes place and when all seems to be good as gone, Adam finds peace with his feelings and is able to start accepting what is happening around him.
The ghost's storyline is semi-similar but with a major fantasy twist. The ghost emerges from the lake having been woken by something that Adam does. Thus starts the ghosts journey to accepting what has happened to it - why is it dead and who killed it? The ghost is also followed by a Faun who is a somewhat protector but is sadly unseen by the ghost throughout the novel. It isn't until we find out who the ghost is inhabiting that the reason behind the Faun's urgency, worry, fear, love and devotion is made clear.
I went into this novel completely unaware of what to expect. I'm not sure if the rest of Ness' books are similar to this mash of genres but I will definitely be picking more up in the future. The moral of the story, the way the plot is set out, the characters and the setting are all built so craftily that Ness has made an amazing book which I will gladly pick up again.
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