TEEN FICTION:When author Siobhan Dowd died of cancer, leaving an unfinished young adult novel about a monster, her agent asked Patrick Ness to finish it. He has done her proud, writes SINÉAD GLEESON
"EVERY BOOK I write, I write for me. I don’t write for teenagers, or for adults. I write to entertain myself, to satisfy my need for a story and if I don’t like it, then no one else will.”
Patrick Ness smiles and sips 7up amid the bustle of Buswells Hotel. It’s only lunchtime but already he has appeared on television and gone for an eight-mile run in preparation for the Dublin marathon. He is tall and blond, an inheritance from a Norwegian grandparent: the rest of his ancestry is an “American mish-mash”.
Ness is here to talk about his new book, which comes with a complex, sad and fascinating back-story. The book’s genesis came from another writer. Ness was already an acclaimed writer in his own right. His debut novel was published in 2003, followed in 2005 by a short-story collection. Both were for adults, but when Ness began work on his next book, it took him in a different direction. “I didn’t plan on being a YA [young adults] writer. I just had an idea for a story. After working on it for a while I realised it was probably for young adults. I didn’t mind at all because I’m really not a snob about these things.”
We discuss Martin Amis’s comments earlier this year about YA fiction (that he would only write for a younger audience if he had a brain injury).
"Ha, yes, I was asked about that on the Guardianpodcast and I said , 'And he wonders why everyone thinks he's a prat?' The thing is, teenagers are great readers, and they're picky. And if they hate you, they'll put you down and tell everyone. But they're really loyal if they like you, and are willing to go to far-off places with you in a book."
His new book, A Monster Calls, strays to such places, not geographically, but emotionally. It was not his idea but that of writer Siobhan Dowd. Born in London to Irish parents, Dowd was a fellow YA writer, with legions of fans and numerous literary prizes to her name. She had just started work on this book when she died from breast cancer in 2007.
The two writers had never met but both ended up on similar prize shortlists in 2008 and Ness was curious about her work. "I read Bog Childand thought it was terrific. It's got the thing I like most about most writing for teenagers – it takes teenagers seriously but not too seriously. There was an element of mischief, and of pointing out that the world is not great all the time."
Ness's editor had commissioned A Monster Callsfrom Dowd and after her untimely death the idea for Ness to complete the book was discussed. Picking up another writer's story is hazardous and Ness was understandably nervous. It helped that he was given what he calls "the perfect amount" of story to begin with. Dowd left behind 1,000 words of ideas about the premise and characters. It was a starting point but left Ness with room to make a story of his own.
“I couldn’t have picked this up halfway and tried to mimic someone else. I didn’t try to write a book she would have written; I tried to write a book she would have liked. That’s a better tribute to her.”
Dowd’s idea outlined the story of a boy called Conor, whose mother is seriously ill and throughout the book he consistently encounters a mysterious tree figure. They spar, tell stories and the “monster” has multiple meanings. Ness also added huge themes for readers of any age – a protagonist whose parents are separated, cancer and bullying. It’s authentic and moving, it’s also pretty dark. Too dark?
“You should see what teenagers write,” laughs Ness. “I’ve judged competitions and the writing is beyond dark . . . suicide, murder, abortion. Teenagers are obsessed by the dark stuff. It’s hard being a teenager – you have a lot of the responsibilities of being almost an adult, with none of the privileges and that can feel like an ongoing injustice. I wanted to say that there is darkness, but by acknowledging it, the lightness seems brighter.”
The book is also a beautiful object, filled with Jim Kay's ominous, inky illustrations. Throughout the interview, Ness is effusive about Dowd and modest about his own work. A Monster Callsis affecting, memorable and, ultimately, a fitting tribute to his fellow writer.
He has met Dowd’s husband and been in contact with her siblings, who have been “very kind” about the book. “It’s clearly a difficult thing for them and any reaction they had would have been fine with me. I didn’t want to make any assumptions about Siobhan but they’ve been so nice about it,” says Ness.
Central to the story is Conor’s mother and her illness. The final pages are particularly poignant and it’s hard not to transpose it on to Dowd’s own life. Is there a lot of her in the book? “There’s a lot of Siobhan in all of her books. I never met her, so I can’t be sure how autobiographical she intended it to be. She was a truth teller, and sometimes the saddest thing – in life, as in books – does happen, and it’s important to acknowledge that.”
A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness is published by Walker Books
