The Knife of Never Letting Go, Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of The Knife of Never Letting Go.

How did you like the beginning of the book? This book started off so differently than anything else I have ever read. Right off the bat, I was surprised that Todd's dog, Manchee, was able to talk. And, of course, it was totally foreign that Todd's thoughts were displayed above his head. I have a hard time imagining what that would look like. It would be really weird to see blocks of text above people's heads. I wonder how quickly the thoughts would dissapate once they appeared. Did you wonder what the Noise would look like in the movie version? Check out the clip below to see a little bit of how the filmmakers dealt with the Noise on screen. Does it look like what you imagined? If you're still curious about the movie making process, check out this clip to hear the author of the book talk about how they brought the Noise to life. 

One of the biggest problems I had with this first section was that I had so many questions, but I didn't get very many answers. I'm so curious about what happened to all of the women, and I can't figure out why it's such a big deal that Todd will be considered a man in just a little bit of time. Will something happen to him once he becomes a man? Does he have to do something special? I was also so curious about the Spackles. Are they real aliens? Where did they come from? Or, is Spackle just a term for something else? I was so confused. Finally, I just wanted to know what was in that book that Todd got from his mother. I know he's embarrassed that he can't read it, but I think it has stuff in it that we all need to know. I wish he would let someone else read it to him. 

There were a lot of hateful characters in this first section, but I think my least favorite was Aaron. There was nothing redeeming about him. And, it seems like he is unable to die. I couldn't believe when he showed up again with the Mayor, chasing after Todd. I thought for sure he was dead after the first skirmish the pair had. The Mayor and his son seemed pretty awful, too. Which characters did you have the hardest time with? 

What do you think of Viola? She's very mysterious. She came to Earth on some sort of a spaceship, and she has really neat supplies. What do you think is going to happen to her in regards to the noise sickness? Do you think it's going to infect her? I really hope she will read Todd's book to him. I think the book holds a lot of answers to my questions. 

At the end of this section, Todd and Viola make it over the bridge and then blow up the bridge so the mayor and his crew can't get over. They meet Mathilde, and Todd feels lonely because Viola and Mathilde don't have any noise. The last thing we know is that someone with noise is coming towards the group. Who do you think it is? What do you think Todd and Viola are going to encounter in the settlement? 

Are you excited to read the next section? What do you think is going to happen to the pair as the story goes on? I'm excited to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for following along this week! I hope you'll read the next 14 chapters before joining us next week! I hope to hear from you in the comments!