There are a few stories I always come back to. Not because they necessarily inspire new stories, but they’re tales I can and need to reinsert into my days every now and again. I came across one tonight and it was time to immerse myself in it again.
And it’s not one you’ll ever guess based on my bio and my list of greats throughout my book reading adventures. Care to take a shot at it . . . nope.
It’s a story I didn’t find until 2016 through a movie, but it was actually written in 2011. Still no guesses? It’s not my usual type of story.
No more teasing. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, based on an idea given to him by Siobhan Dowd. I saw the movie first and was was so swept up in it I hunted down the book and read it. The book is more in depth and adds another character which we never see in the movie, but then again movies tend to simplify things down.
The book was wonderful too. The movie did it justice, delivering the power and emotion of such a gut punching story.
If you don’t know about it, you need to take a peek. For me, it’s a go-to when I’m in that mood. It reminds me everyone has their own hells they’re wading through and we’re not always privy to what each other is going through on a daily basis. And even if you are on the surface, you rarely get to understand the full pitch of their personal storms.
Did watching the movie again this time around inspire me? Not directly, but it’s one of those movies that makes you examine the world and while I gleaned no A-ha! moments, it opens that window where the stories live.
For me, that’s a pretty good Saturday night…
Craig