On a world colonised by humans, Todd has been raised in a town inhabited solely by men. In Prentisstown, everyone is cursed with a kind of a telepathy called Noise. This renders their thoughts and presence audible to others. This curse, considered a disease, has apparently killed all of the women. However, about a month before the birthday that will make him into a full-grown man according to the customs of Prentisstown, Todd meets someone whose ship has crashed in the swamp. And everything he knows will be turned on its head…
I was captivated by this visceral YA sci-fi book that explores the relationship between the sexes and the dilemma of telepathy in a new and intriguing way. The novel describes a chase, as Todd and the crash survivor flee across their world. They are relentlessly pursued by the men of Prentisstown, and find uncertain welcome wherever they go. Breathlessly paced and sharply imagined, I tore through this in days.
However, I was tempted into taking a star off. There are instances where I felt Todd (and therefore the reader) was being deprived of plot and character information to artificially create tension. For instance, what with the telepathy and notebooks and all Todd should have worked out the reality of Prentisstown within a couple of days of leaving. Instead we have to wait till the end of the book (this isn’t a spoiler, as we know from the get-go that Todd has been deceived all his life).
On the other hand, the tension, even when I don’t believe in it, is undeniably there. I’ve already downloaded the sample for the next one in the series, The Ask and the Answer.
