The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press. Todd Hewitt is the protagonist in The Knife of Never Letting Go. In the novel, preteen Todd Hewitt learns that Prentisstown is a place where 13-year-old boys become ‘men’ by committing a violent act. With help from family and friends, Todd runs away from Prentisstown as a means of escaping Prentisstown’s initiation of becoming a ‘man’. During his journey, Todd comes across Viola Eades who joins him in finding Haven, a settlement. On their way to Haven, preacher Aaron is killed by Viola and Prentiss Jr. shoots Viola. Todd escapes to Haven with Viola, but Mayor Prentiss has already taken Haven. Todd surrenders so Viola can receive medical treatment. I think good recommendations for follow up reading are parts two and three of this series, The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men. Other recommendations include Every Day by David Levithan and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I believe Todd serves as a symbol for the young adult readers. He shows young adult readers that even though they’re growing up with violence all round them that it’s okay to stand up for what’s morally right. The Knife of Never Letting Go meets the social developmental criteria because the novel is about moral development. Todd is brought up in a society of violence, and even after Todd is told the truth about Prentisstown, he is still able to protect his innocence and resist the temptations that everyone else succumbed to.