Everyone questions at least once whether the world we know is real or an illusion or simulation. If such a question makes you scoff and roll your eyes, Patrick Ness’s More Than This may make you question your own reality.
More Than This chronicles the story of seventeen year-old Seth, who, unlike many protagonists, dies within the first few pages of the book. But that’s not the end of Seth - he later wakes up dehydrated, naked, and covered with mysterious bandages and tubes outside a house in England, where he had lived ten years earlier. Seth spends the rest of the story figuring out how he got there.
While More Than This starts off with a gripping first chapter, readers may find the next two hundred pages comparatively lacking in action. I personally felt that Ness makes up for the slower pace with thought-provoking writing, adding just enough twists to keep the novel engaging. For readers interested solely high action, things pick up again with a twist about halfway through.
The complexity and profoundness of Ness’s novel makes it truly memorable. The story continually forces the reader to question what’s real within the text (and maybe in the real world, too). Struggling with this same uncertainty, Seth receives the advice “know yourself and go in swinging. If it hurts when you hit, it might be real, too.” Nothing in life is certain, but Ness suggests that all there is to do is be confident in yourself, for that’s what’s real.
Readers interested in a fast-paced plot with a conclusive ending to the mystery may not enjoy More Than This. But readers seeking a book with intricate messages that will not only make you question your own reality, but will provide answers on how to handle the unpredictability of life, will not be disappointed.
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