kvela

The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first book in the sci-fi trilogy Chaos Walking.  This dystopian society book is set in a town called Prentisstown on New World, a planet that has been colonized by  people who fled Old World (earth).  Todd Hewitt is the only boy left in his colony dying colony, and is about to reach manhood at the age of 13. He was born in New World, but was left orphaned after his mother died from a germ spread by the Spackle (alien life form) which killed all the women in the colony. As a side effect of this disease the men are able to hear each other's thoughts or Noise. Noise is expressed in the book as a series of phrases and words, that vary in size and font to represent the thoughts that emanate from each person. Before Todd turns into a man, he is forced to run away with his companion dog Manchee by his adoptive parents Cillian and Ben. Along the way he discovers a girl who has crash landed in the swamp near by, but their life is threatened by Prentisstown's preacher and villagers.  As both run away from town, Todd discovers that life is much different than what he grew up believing. He must do everything in his power to survive and reach safety as a war unfolds in New World. 

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press