The voice is unique in this book and the strength is definitely the characters. (Although I pretty much had it figured out anyway.) It was getting a bit silly at this point with interruptions so Todd couldn’t learn the truth. Throughout the novel the readers are taunted with the truth of Prentisstown, and finally at 75% ish through the book we find out. I don’t want to say anymore and spoil the story. (His thoughts.) So Ben writes Todd a letter, but the problem with this plan is, Todd only had the most basic lessons in reading… “Everything you know is a lie…” But Todd can’t know anything because then the other villagers would hear it in his Noise. Ben is alarmed, gets an already packed bag out for Todd and tells him to run. One day he comes back from the swamp where he heard a strange quiet in the noise. Todd was raised by Ben and Cillian and is awaiting his birthday next month when he’ll finally be a man. The planet was colonized 20 years ago and 10 years ago a war with the native species killed all of the women in Prentisstown and destroyed all the other settlements. As if that wasn’t weird enough all of the animals can talk, including Todd’s dog Manchee.

Most of the thoughts aren’t clear, just Noise. Todd lives on New World, a colonized planet where all of the men can hear each other’s thoughts.

Yes, it was intentional because the novel is written by a 12 year old boy. I was greatly annoyed by the bad spelling and grammar in this novel. (And the short story that takes place afterwards.) (I like books that make me happy, not sad.) It just wasn’t my kind of book, but I got so wrapped up in the characters and the story that I read the entire trilogy. When I read the summery I expected a cute little fun book about kids who can read minds and a talking dog, but what I got was a thought provoking book, which was often sad. I’m not rating this series, because it wouldn’t be fair to the books.

The knife of never letting go genre