He finds out that it’s from a girl, Viola. While running from his town, Todd encounters the silence again. Todd is forced to leave while the town descends on Ben and Cillian. He can’t go into more details, since otherwise it will be possible for the others to read his Noise. Ben hands Todd a journal that was written by his mother, and a map that will take him somewhere new. Ben and Cillian grimly pack supplies for Todd, explaining that they knew this day was going to come. When Todd returns home his Noise leaks the news about the silence.

While exploring the swamp, they find something that emanates pure silence, something that has been unheard of since the Noise virus was released. The book starts with Todd exploring the swamp, gathering apples for his adoptive parents, Ben and Cillian. Todd was told that the women were simply killed off by the virus. The Noise germ gave all of the humans and animals the ability to mentally communicate with one another. The Spackle released a genetic weapon on humankind, infecting them with something called the Noise germ. All of the women were killed off by an alien race known as the Spackle. Everyone else in the small community is a man, which happens when they turn 13. He lives in a small town, Prentisstown, where he’s the last boy. 'The Knife of Never Letting Go' by Patrick Ness, takes place in the unspecified future on a planet that is simply referred to as 'the new world.' The main character, Todd, gradually explains to readers the state of this new world.

The knife of never letting go