Thoughts on 'More Than This' by Patrick Ness
"More than this" is a novel filled with unexpected turns. If you have ever read any other Patrick Ness books, this is something that you would expect. Still, nothing could prepare me for the shock of my expectedly angsty and philosophical novel turning into a bonafide sci-fi book. It was a change that I quite happily embraced and I have to say that it thoroughly enhanced my enjoyment of the book. It is an emotionally involved study of lives filled with pain that still manages to make me feel like there's hope in the world. The book follows the story of a teenager called Seth Wearing but, unlike most other YA books, it begins with Seth's death and follows his journey in the dystopian 'real world' where he wakes up. Patrick Ness has always had a way to make his characters relate to everyone. "You said you all want there to be more than this! Well, there's always more than this. There's always something you don't know." This is something most, if not all, people experience at some point in their lives, this makes people want to read on because they relate to it.
The novel has many characters relatable to many different people in different ways. One of the characters that really stands out is the character of Regine. Regine is a dark skinned heavy-set teenage girl who died after being pushed down the stairs by her father. Her back story is heart-wrenching, but Regine covers her traumatic past with a tough exterior and the 'occasional' cigarette. I recognise this as a common character trope in YA fiction, and yet Patrick Ness manages to put a unique spin on it. I personally expected her to fall in love with Seth and for them to live happily ever after, but in a wonderful twist, it turns out Seth is gay. I really like that Regine and Seth don't end up together because it's a nice change from the age-old cliche. It is expected that Regine would end up with Seth and the fact that she doesn't, makes her character more relatable to girls like me, who don't want boyfriends and who just want platonic relationships. Nowadays it seems like all YA fiction is saying that girls need to date and it is incredibly annoying for girls who just aren't interested in dating. Regine's character is not just an inspiration to victims of domestic abuse, but also to teenage girls. She shows me that you don't need a boyfriend and you can be strong by yourself. Regine also brings across a great message about domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a huge issue in New Zealand and as a country, we are very poorly equipped to deal with it. Regine's story is a great way to bring that to the reader's attention.
Another great character is Tomasz, a young Polish boy with a big heart and a truck loads worth of bravery. Tomasz stole my heart from the get-go, he was absolutely adorable with his broken English, curly hair, and flair for heroics. He saves Regine and Seth's lives many times throughout the book, making sure each time, that the gets the acknowledgment he deserves. In the book Seth says that Tomasz reminds him of his brother Owen, I can relate to this because while reading the book I started to think of Tomasz like a little brother too. I found it impossible not to fall in love with him. Before he died, Tomasz and his mother were trying to emigrate out of Poland. Unfortunately, the people who were taking Tomasz and the other polish emigrants to England ended up shooting all of the people on the ship. This is a problem we have in our world as well, with illegal immigrants often being treated horribly and doing anything to get out of their country even if it is dangerous. These emigrants often get taken advantage of, because they are so desperate people who are helping them often take all of their money and what little belongings they have and sometimes they even kill the emigrants. Tomasz, like Regine, gives us a first person perspective into what it's like to have suffered through the horror that their characters experienced. Both characters give off a wise-beyond-their-years aura that we often see in our own world and it is important for us to try to understand them and what happened to them.
Seth Wearing is a very different character to Regine and Tomasz. While the injuries and trauma Tomasz and Regine faced were more physical, Seth's trauma was more emotional. This is an issue throughout the book as Regine resents Seth for having killed himself because she doesn't think that he had a reason. "Is that why you're so mad at me all the time? You think I did it because I felt sorry for myself? While you two had really rough times?" Seth says this to Regine after they found out that Seth's brother Owen is dead in the real world. This is also a problem we have in our world. Suicide rates have risen dramatically in past years and this is something that I feel very strongly about. People often misunderstand why people commit suicide, they think those people are over-dramatic or self-centered. I reality emotional trauma can be just as damning as physical trauma and I really liked the Patrick Ness showcased this in the book. I can relate to this because I also often feel like I'm being over-dramatic or ungrateful when complaining about my problems because at the end of the day, I am extremely fortunate and my problems are nothing compared to other people and their problems.
I recognise one of the main themes of the book to be that everyone encounters trauma of some kind over the course of their lives. Whether it is physical or emotional trauma or both doesn't matter."Are we not some funny kind of group? Child abuse, murder, and suicide." We are all different, but we are all equally important. Something else I liked about the book was that it addressed the big question that resonates in all of our minds. "Is there more than this." As a person who believes in a higher power, I have always believed that there is something more, but even so I still sometimes feel a little bit incomplete. I think this is a feeling most people experience in their lives and I really like that Patrick Ness addressed this and even found a way to make that feeling go away for a bit. In conclusion, the novel 'More Than This' by Patrick Ness gave me some truly tear-jerking moments, but also some moments that gave me hope for the future and made me feel like there really is always something more for me.
The novel has many characters relatable to many different people in different ways. One of the characters that really stands out is the character of Regine. Regine is a dark skinned heavy-set teenage girl who died after being pushed down the stairs by her father. Her back story is heart-wrenching, but Regine covers her traumatic past with a tough exterior and the 'occasional' cigarette. I recognise this as a common character trope in YA fiction, and yet Patrick Ness manages to put a unique spin on it. I personally expected her to fall in love with Seth and for them to live happily ever after, but in a wonderful twist, it turns out Seth is gay. I really like that Regine and Seth don't end up together because it's a nice change from the age-old cliche. It is expected that Regine would end up with Seth and the fact that she doesn't, makes her character more relatable to girls like me, who don't want boyfriends and who just want platonic relationships. Nowadays it seems like all YA fiction is saying that girls need to date and it is incredibly annoying for girls who just aren't interested in dating. Regine's character is not just an inspiration to victims of domestic abuse, but also to teenage girls. She shows me that you don't need a boyfriend and you can be strong by yourself. Regine also brings across a great message about domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a huge issue in New Zealand and as a country, we are very poorly equipped to deal with it. Regine's story is a great way to bring that to the reader's attention.
Another great character is Tomasz, a young Polish boy with a big heart and a truck loads worth of bravery. Tomasz stole my heart from the get-go, he was absolutely adorable with his broken English, curly hair, and flair for heroics. He saves Regine and Seth's lives many times throughout the book, making sure each time, that the gets the acknowledgment he deserves. In the book Seth says that Tomasz reminds him of his brother Owen, I can relate to this because while reading the book I started to think of Tomasz like a little brother too. I found it impossible not to fall in love with him. Before he died, Tomasz and his mother were trying to emigrate out of Poland. Unfortunately, the people who were taking Tomasz and the other polish emigrants to England ended up shooting all of the people on the ship. This is a problem we have in our world as well, with illegal immigrants often being treated horribly and doing anything to get out of their country even if it is dangerous. These emigrants often get taken advantage of, because they are so desperate people who are helping them often take all of their money and what little belongings they have and sometimes they even kill the emigrants. Tomasz, like Regine, gives us a first person perspective into what it's like to have suffered through the horror that their characters experienced. Both characters give off a wise-beyond-their-years aura that we often see in our own world and it is important for us to try to understand them and what happened to them.
Seth Wearing is a very different character to Regine and Tomasz. While the injuries and trauma Tomasz and Regine faced were more physical, Seth's trauma was more emotional. This is an issue throughout the book as Regine resents Seth for having killed himself because she doesn't think that he had a reason. "Is that why you're so mad at me all the time? You think I did it because I felt sorry for myself? While you two had really rough times?" Seth says this to Regine after they found out that Seth's brother Owen is dead in the real world. This is also a problem we have in our world. Suicide rates have risen dramatically in past years and this is something that I feel very strongly about. People often misunderstand why people commit suicide, they think those people are over-dramatic or self-centered. I reality emotional trauma can be just as damning as physical trauma and I really liked the Patrick Ness showcased this in the book. I can relate to this because I also often feel like I'm being over-dramatic or ungrateful when complaining about my problems because at the end of the day, I am extremely fortunate and my problems are nothing compared to other people and their problems.
I recognise one of the main themes of the book to be that everyone encounters trauma of some kind over the course of their lives. Whether it is physical or emotional trauma or both doesn't matter."Are we not some funny kind of group? Child abuse, murder, and suicide." We are all different, but we are all equally important. Something else I liked about the book was that it addressed the big question that resonates in all of our minds. "Is there more than this." As a person who believes in a higher power, I have always believed that there is something more, but even so I still sometimes feel a little bit incomplete. I think this is a feeling most people experience in their lives and I really like that Patrick Ness addressed this and even found a way to make that feeling go away for a bit. In conclusion, the novel 'More Than This' by Patrick Ness gave me some truly tear-jerking moments, but also some moments that gave me hope for the future and made me feel like there really is always something more for me.
Comments
Post a Comment