Monster Calls by Patrick Ness Book Analysis Sample

“The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do” (Ness 1). At night, there is a lot of time to think and process. Dreams reveal the subconscious thoughts a person has, but in this case, a monster, a fantastical feature of the night, peels back the fear and forces a young boy to face the truth that he has been so desperately hiding. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness explores the process of 13-year-old Conor dealing with and processing his mom’s sickness. Conor has recurring interactions with a yew tree that came to tell 3 tales in hopes of teaching Conor a valuable lesson. As time passes, and his mom’s condition worsens, Conor is forced to face his true fear instead of hiding from it. This novel has many overlapping characteristics with the branch of fiction, Magical Realism. Magical Realism can be defined as “a genre of art, literature, and film that incorporates fantastic or mythical elements into otherwise realistic fiction” (Caffrey). Based on this definition, as well as other elements of the genre including the inclusion of dreams and a typical nature setting, A Monster Calls is an example of the genre of Magical Realism.

Fantastical elements are a major part of Magical Realism, as illustrated in A Monster Calls. The overall premise of this novel is a yew tree teaching a 13-year-old boy lessons that will help him cope with the impending death of his mother. Communication between a tree and human is unrealistic, which brings a fantastical element to the tale. This is attributed to the fact that yew trees are not able to speak or communicate in real life. Not only is there unrealistic communication, but also unrealistic movement. This is illustrated by Patrick Ness when he writes “The monster stomped around the interior of the house, crushing every piece of furniture it could find with satisfying crashes and crunches” (111). In the real world, trees are typically stationary with minor swaying. The ability to tie these fantastical elements to the definition is a major reason that the idea that A Monster Calls is an example of Magical Realism can be supported.

Another factor that ties A Monster Calls to Magical Realism is the inclusion of dreams. According to Elswit and Elswick, dreams are elements that consistently appear in this branch of fiction. With that being said, it can be argued that the yew tree is part of a recurring dream of the boy. The appearance of the tree occurs at 12:07 am (Ness 64), which is a normal time to be asleep. The boy even questions if he is dreaming when he sees the yew tree, but only because the tree appears to be so real (Ness 64). This idea is also illustrated on page 11 when Conor thinks “It had been a dream. What else could it have been?” (Ness). Due to the tree’s plotline revolving around dreams, the factor of this branch including dreams is fulfilled. 

Stories of Magical Realism are often set in more rural, nature centered areas (Elswit and Elswick). The setting of A Monster Calls is one that is focused on the interaction between nature and the plot, with the majority of the story taking place in an undeveloped spot behind the boy’s house. The setting of the novel plays an important role in the yew tree’s existence because it would be unlikely for the tree to have the large range of movement it does had it been in a crowded plot of land. Also, the ability for the tree to survive in nature, specifically behind the house, provided further plot development. As previously stated, the boy’s mother was dying, and the last hope came from a specific medicine. This medicine is made from yew trees, and the mother knew that all along, which lead to her consistently looking out beyond her home to the place where the tree grew (130). In a way, the nature centric setting provided hope for recovery to the boy and his mom. Overall, the rural, naturistic setting continuously provided plot development in A Monster Calls, which adds in yet another element of Magical Realism.

Through dreams and conversations with a yew tree, Conor learns his most valuable lesson, people are not all good or all bad. These dreams and conversations are not realistic features of a normal person’s life. With that being said, as the tales and story continue, it becomes increasingly apparent that the yew tree represents Magical Realism as a whole in this novel. This deduction ties A Monster Calls to this subgenre of fiction. While the monster is fantastical, the lessons it taught are all too real, especially for Conor.