Prentisstown isn’t like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee — whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not — stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden — a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.
But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?
(Excerpt from GoodRead)
I LOVE MANCHEE!
I just had to say that, because I did. I loved that dog just like I loved this book!
We start off with meeting the men of Prentisstown. We meet Ben and Cillian and Todd and Viola… and Aaron.
I’m going to start with Aaron.
He’s not the main character, but right from the get-go, you’ll hate him. You’ll want to stab him in the eye with a rusty knife, because he is the most evil thing to fill the pages of this book.
Now, Todd. Todd reminds me of every twelve (soon to be thirteen) year old boy I’ve ever met. He’s moody, hotheaded and stubborn to a fault. There are times when I want to smack him upside the head for the way he treats Manchee, but I still like him. He’s one of those characters that you want to strangle and hug at the same time, and I like the sound of him, which probably makes no sense. But I like the way he thinks, the way he talks, the way he doesn’t trust people and the way he’s always hating himself because he’s lost so much and he’ll loose even more. Your heart will bleed for him.
I’m not sure how I feel about Viola. She seemed all right, but given as how the story is all from Todd’s point of view, it’s a little hard to judge the sort of person she is. I mean, she doesn’t say a word for the first part of the book, and poor Todd who hasn’t seen a female before outside the noises of the men in Prentisstown has no idea what to do with her or what to make of her.
Now, before I confuse you, there are no women in Prentisstown. There used to be before they all mysteriously died. Todd’s mom was one of those women. I’m not going to give away any secrets, but I will say that the men in Prenstisstown… they are NUTS! Aside from Cillian, Todd and Ben, it’s like watching the body snatchers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes having their heart torn from their chest, salted and fed back to them. This is NOT a happy book, just so you’re warned. It is gut wrenching and just when you think the author will take some pity, he’ll stab you again-and-again.
There is so much I want to say about this book, so many secrets I just want to spill across the pages, but the author has written such a compelling and mysterious tale that if I tell you anything, it’ll unravel everything. You just have to read it for yourself and see what I mean. I can promise that you’ll jump right into book two and three like a starved tiger on a chunk of fresh meat.
A bit of a warning. This book WILL make you cry. I made the mistake of reading this while I was on the train… it was not a pretty picture.
So, in conclusion:
Will I read the next book? YES! Already have.
Will I tell my friends about this book? Yes.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.