A Monster Calls Themes

The O'Malleys aren't exactly the Cosbys. Conor's got an absent father, a grandmother he doesn't exactly get along with, and a mother with a terminal illness. It's a recipe for a lot of family drama...

Oof, where to begin? A Monster Calls has death on every page, because Conor's mother's cancer is the central truth of the novel. No matter how much he tries to deny, avert, cheat, or even flat out...

Conor's a dude with some seriously scary nightmares, not to mention way too many (two too many, to be exact) monsters for one person to handle. Somehow, though, the kiddo manages to flit between th...

Two monsters, both alike in dignity, in fair… oops, wrong book (although R&J could only have benefited from the addition of monsters). In all seriousness, we think the monsters in this b...

Who's to say which is worse—physical suffering or emotional suffering? While Conor's mom is obviously in a tremendous amount of pain, she gets to be at peace and out of pain, eventually, while th...

Conor wasn't always isolated, but he's definitely hopped on board the lonely train since his mom got sick. Not only do her treatments take her away from him, but his classmates and teachers are ign...