#28 The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Big spoilers for The Knife of Never Letting Go in this review. 
Todd and Viola have reached Haven, what they thought would be the end of their long journey, only to discover that Haven is no more. Now called New Prentisstown, the settlement is ruled by Mayor Prentiss, who managed to take over without firing a single bullet. Now Todd and Viola have been separated. Todd finds himself drafted into the mayor's army, where he and Davy Prentiss must serve as overseers to large group of enslaved Spackle. Viola, injured and near death, is sent to a House of Healing, where she learns that not everyone is happy with the new leadership. Viola and Todd soon find themselves on opposite sides of a war, where it's almost impossible to determine which side is “good” and which is “evil.”
If there's one thing for sure about The Ask and the Answer it's this: Patrick Ness was just warming up with The Knife of Never Letter Go. The Ask and the Answer is a complex and dark book that's not afraid to ask some really difficult questions despite the fact that's it's intended for a young adult audience. I came into this book with a few expectations that were mostly formed from similar books that I had read. I knew that the shady all-male government must be the bad guys, and the mostly-female revolutionaries (called “The Answer”) were probably good. As I began to delve deeper into the novel I discovered that things were not that simple. Ness's more realistic depiction of tyranny and terrorism rejects a typical good versus evil storyline. Even our protagonists aren't quite as “good” as you'd expect. Both Todd and Viola engage in activities that can be described as morally ambiguous at best and (especially in the case of Todd), sometimes far worse. These aren't actives you'd expect heroes to take part in. I have no idea how Ness manages to pull these off without sacrificing his characters likability, and I can't help but admire his skills in character development.
With multiple graphic scenes of cruelty and torture, Ness proves that he's not afraid of pulling any punches and ends up delivering what looks like the darkest young adult novel that I have ever read (I can see why it's intended for the upper end of that age group). Perhaps the only purely “good” element of this book is the strong bond between Todd and Viola (and even that is strained by the events). It's obvious that Ness is preparing the two characters for a future romance, and the presence of a new male character suggest that we'll be seeing a love triangle in the third book (an inevitability in YA lit). I enjoy the fact that Ness doesn't delve into these elements too soon, and instead focuses on the story at hand. Like with The Knife of Never Letting Go, there really isn't any room for romance here, and Ness doesn’t try to squeeze it in.
The Ask and the Answer may not always be a comfortable novel to read, but it's filled with lots of juicy concepts that I've only scratched the surface of. The strengths of the novel almost made me forget it's weaknesses, such as the fact that Todd and Viola act much older than their age (early teens), and certain scenes seem to go on for too long. I am quite happy that I once again experienced this book as an audiobook. Nick Podehl returns as the voice of Todd and once again does admirably. Angela Dawe jump in for the sections narrated by Viola. I found that her voice really grew on me throughout the book.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: the print version of 544 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar Books: The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Other books I've read by this author: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Next I will be reviewing The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong.
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
Todd and Viola have reached Haven, what they thought would be the end of their long journey, only to discover that Haven is no more. Now called New Prentisstown, the settlement is ruled by Mayor Prentiss, who managed to take over without firing a single bullet. Now Todd and Viola have been separated. Todd finds himself drafted into the mayor's army, where he and Davy Prentiss must serve as overseers to large group of enslaved Spackle. Viola, injured and near death, is sent to a House of Healing, where she learns that not everyone is happy with the new leadership. Viola and Todd soon find themselves on opposite sides of a war, where it's almost impossible to determine which side is “good” and which is “evil.”
If there's one thing for sure about The Ask and the Answer it's this: Patrick Ness was just warming up with The Knife of Never Letter Go. The Ask and the Answer is a complex and dark book that's not afraid to ask some really difficult questions despite the fact that's it's intended for a young adult audience. I came into this book with a few expectations that were mostly formed from similar books that I had read. I knew that the shady all-male government must be the bad guys, and the mostly-female revolutionaries (called “The Answer”) were probably good. As I began to delve deeper into the novel I discovered that things were not that simple. Ness's more realistic depiction of tyranny and terrorism rejects a typical good versus evil storyline. Even our protagonists aren't quite as “good” as you'd expect. Both Todd and Viola engage in activities that can be described as morally ambiguous at best and (especially in the case of Todd), sometimes far worse. These aren't actives you'd expect heroes to take part in. I have no idea how Ness manages to pull these off without sacrificing his characters likability, and I can't help but admire his skills in character development.
With multiple graphic scenes of cruelty and torture, Ness proves that he's not afraid of pulling any punches and ends up delivering what looks like the darkest young adult novel that I have ever read (I can see why it's intended for the upper end of that age group). Perhaps the only purely “good” element of this book is the strong bond between Todd and Viola (and even that is strained by the events). It's obvious that Ness is preparing the two characters for a future romance, and the presence of a new male character suggest that we'll be seeing a love triangle in the third book (an inevitability in YA lit). I enjoy the fact that Ness doesn't delve into these elements too soon, and instead focuses on the story at hand. Like with The Knife of Never Letting Go, there really isn't any room for romance here, and Ness doesn’t try to squeeze it in.
The Ask and the Answer may not always be a comfortable novel to read, but it's filled with lots of juicy concepts that I've only scratched the surface of. The strengths of the novel almost made me forget it's weaknesses, such as the fact that Todd and Viola act much older than their age (early teens), and certain scenes seem to go on for too long. I am quite happy that I once again experienced this book as an audiobook. Nick Podehl returns as the voice of Todd and once again does admirably. Angela Dawe jump in for the sections narrated by Viola. I found that her voice really grew on me throughout the book.
Rating: four and a half stars
Length: the print version of 544 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Similar Books: The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Other books I've read by this author: The Knife of Never Letting Go
Next I will be reviewing The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong.
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads