I Wish I Could Read "More Than This"

I Wish I Could Read "More Than This"

By: Sarah W

Patrick Ness's fifth novel, "More Than This", is a fantastic piece of literature. A mix between a dystopian and science-fiction novel, Ness really stepped it up with this one. Patrick Ness, aged 46, is British-American author, and can be found on patrickness.com.

Seth is not in a good situation. After hitting his head on a rock, and drowning in the middle of the ocean, he wakes up, finding himself in the English suburb where he spent his childhood, in which he believes is a form of  Hell. Although it appears to be deserted, Seth later starts to find animals, such as a fox and a pig, and eventually finds Regine and Tomasz, two teens who are also dead.

Through flashbacks and dialogue, we learn that Seth does not have a good relationship with his family. Though he gets along with his dad, his mother still resents him for all that he has done. When Seth was eight years old, he opened the door for a stranger, and his little brother owen was kidnapped for three days, and suffered from extreme psychological damage. We also find out that Seth was in a secret relationship with his friend Gudmund, and when they were outed, it made Seth's mother dislike Seth even more. Because of these events in Seth's life, his family decided to leave England, and move to the United States, but did any of this actually happen?

The answer is no. None of this actually happened. This is not a spoiler, but lets just say Seth did not hit his head and drown, he committed suicide. Seth's little brother was not just kidnapped, he was killed. The world Seth had died in was actually more of an online simulation.

Ness's writing is fantastic. Dialogue at times is long but easy to follow, and though many different events were added to the storyline, they did not take away from the actual story. I can say, I have never read a more original book. Though there may be others out there like this, I have a hard time believing so. The idea that the world is just an online simulation is fascinating. I felt at times the pacing was slow, but the timing flashbacks brought me back and kept me interested.

I was very impressed with this novel and am interested to see what other kinds of books Ness has written. The cliffhanger at the end signals a sequel to the book, and if there is one, I will definitely read it, you should too.

More Than This, by Patrick Ness, Candlewick Press, 2013, 472 pages.