A Monster Calls Twice
The remarkable story of Siobhan Dowd
After writing about A Monster Calls, I could no longer stand it. I ordered the Special Collector's Edition. Clearly, I have little to no self-restraint. However, now that I've received it, I also have no regrets. The two special features, The Story of the Book and The Making of the Film, are concise yet comprehensive, making it a book worth having.
The Story of the Book begins with essays from author Patrick Ness, publisher and editor Denise Johnstone-Burt, and illustrator Jim Kay. Each provides insight into how they came onto the project and approached their roles. As seen below, Kay leads you through his innovative process of developing the monster's look and the book itself, his decision to lean into abstraction, his thumbnail designs for the case cover, and even a behind-the-scenes look at how he tackled the cover for the German edition. Speaking of Germany, I wasn't entirely surprised to learn that a significant influence on Kay's work was the 1922 film Nosferatu. (A personal fave of mine that I try to watch every Halloween!).
Ness and Kay's involvement in the film's development makes The Making of the Film incredibly engrossing. If you know of any examples where an author and an illustrator of a book also serve as the screenwriter and concept artist for the adaptation, please let me know in the comments. None come to mind as I write this column. In this section, we get thoughts from director J.A. Bayona and an interview with Ness on how he turned the manuscript into a screenplay; interviews with actors Liam Neeson, Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, and Felicity Jones; a gallery of Kay's digital concept art; an essay from the Creative Director behind the film’s animations; an interview with the Production Designer; and, last but not least, an interview with the costume designer. Isn't that incredible? I told you this book is packed!
But wait! There's more! And this is the most crucial bit, something I left out the last time I wrote. A Monster Calls' dedication reads, "For Siobhan." "Who is Siobhan?" You ask. Siobhan Dowd is the author who originally dreamt up the idea for the book. As she conceived it, it would be about a lonely boy whose mom was dying of cancer, and interwoven in that sad story would be three tales about a magical yew tree. Dowd wrote about 1500 words and then, at the young age of 48, died of breast cancer. Ness writes of her, "She had the characters, a premise, and a beginning. What she didn't have, unfortunately, was time." As a tribute to Dowd, Publisher Johnstone-Burt put together the best team she knew to finish the book on her behalf. And what a fantastic tribute it turned out to be!
Aside from conceiving of A Monster Calls, Dowd wrote four novels. Two were published before she died, two after. In addition to being an author, she worked to improve the situation of underprivileged children and helped bring authors and their books into impoverished communities, prisons, and young offender institutions. And as if leading such an exemplary life wasn't enough, she established a trust that could continue fighting the good fight long after she departed. The Siobhan Dowd Trust's mission is to bring the joy of reading to young people deprived of books.
Siobhan Dowd was an extraordinary woman who makes you reconsider your own life and what you're doing with it. Or at least it’s made me reassess things. A few questions that have been dogging me since reading about her life:
If you only had enough time to tell one story or create one thing, what would that story or something be?
Who would you want to complete it if you couldn't finish it?
If you could choose any director to adapt your book into a movie, who would it be?
Chew on those with me; maybe next week, I'll share some of my answers.
Until next time, Always Be Creating!
Bill