A Monster Calls

by

Patrick Ness

Conor’s Grandmother Character Analysis

Conor’s maternal grandmother. Conor’s grandmother is cold and somewhat strict, and Conor doesn’t like her very much. He doesn’t understand why she tries to make herself look young and still works. At the beginning of the book, Conor’s mother invites Conor’s grandmother to visit to help take care of Conor and herself. Conor is disdainful of her visit, both because she treats him like a child (even though he’s been taking care of his mother alone up to this point), and because her presence inherently indicates that something is wrong. As Conor’s mother gets worse and goes to the hospital, Conor is forced to move in with his grandmother, a prospect that he abhors because she enforces rules he has never had to follow, and he doesn’t feel like he belongs in her home. When the monster tells Conor the first tale, Conor immediately connects his grandmother to the character of the evil queen—someone who makes herself look younger and wants to rule the kingdom. But the monster’s story argues that just because the queen wasn’t nice, doesn’t mean that she was guilty of a terrible crime. This story eventually helps Conor see that just because he and his grandmother don’t get along very well, doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s a bad person or intentionally trying to hurt him. At the end of the book Conor and his grandmother reconcile, and agree to try to treat each other better going forward.

Conor’s Grandmother Quotes in A Monster Calls

The A Monster Calls quotes below are all either spoken by Conor’s Grandmother or refer to Conor’s Grandmother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Death, Denial, and Acceptance Theme Icon
).
A Monster Calls Quotes

He’d told no one about the nightmare. Not his mum, obviously, but no one else either, not his dad in their fortnightly (or so) phone call, definitely not his grandma, and no one at school. Absolutely not.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, The Monster, Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, Conor’s Father
Page Number: 1
Explanation and Analysis:
Breakfast Quotes

“I’m going to be late,” Conor said, eyeing the clock.

“Okay, sweetheart,” she said, teetering over to kiss him on the forehead. “You’re a good boy,” she said again. “I wish you didn’t have to be quite so good.”

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley (speaker), Conor’s Mother (speaker), Conor’s Grandmother
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
The Rest of the First Tale Quotes

You think I tell you stories to teach you lessons? the monster said. You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness?

Related Characters: The Monster (speaker), Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Grandmother, The Evil Queen, The Young Prince, The Farmer’s Daughter
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:

There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.

Conor shook his head. “That’s a terrible story. And a cheat.”

It is a true story, the monster said. Many things that are true feel like a cheat. Kingdoms get the princes they deserve, farmers’ daughters die for no reason, and sometimes witches merit saving.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley (speaker), The Monster (speaker), Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, The Evil Queen, The Young Prince, The Farmer’s Daughter
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:
Champ Quotes

“We barely have room for the three of us, Con. Your grandma has a lot more money and space than we do. Plus, you’re in school here, your friends are here, your whole life is here. It would be unfair to just take you out of all that.”

“Unfair to who?” Conor asked.

His father sighed. “This is what I meant,” he said. “This is what I meant when I said you were going to have to be brave.”

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley (speaker), Conor’s Father (speaker), Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother
Page Number: 88
Explanation and Analysis:
Destruction Quotes

She walked right past him, her face twisted in tears, the moaning spilling out of her again. She went to the display cabinet, the only thing remaining upright in the room.

And she grabbed it by one side—

And pulled on it hard once—

Twice—

And a third time.

Sending it crashing to the floor with a final-sounding crunch.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, The Monster, Conor’s Grandmother, The Parson
Page Number: 118
Explanation and Analysis:
Invisible Quotes

His classmates kept their distance from him, too, like he was giving off a bad smell. He tried to remember if he’d talked to any of them since he’d arrived this morning. He didn’t think he had. Which meant he hadn’t actually spoken to anyone since his father that morning.

How could something like that happen?

But, finally, here was Harry. And that, at least, felt normal.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, Conor’s Father, Harry, Anton, Sully
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis:
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A Monster Calls PDF

Conor’s Grandmother Quotes in A Monster Calls

The A Monster Calls quotes below are all either spoken by Conor’s Grandmother or refer to Conor’s Grandmother. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Death, Denial, and Acceptance Theme Icon
).
A Monster Calls Quotes

He’d told no one about the nightmare. Not his mum, obviously, but no one else either, not his dad in their fortnightly (or so) phone call, definitely not his grandma, and no one at school. Absolutely not.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, The Monster, Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, Conor’s Father
Page Number: 1
Explanation and Analysis:
Breakfast Quotes

“I’m going to be late,” Conor said, eyeing the clock.

“Okay, sweetheart,” she said, teetering over to kiss him on the forehead. “You’re a good boy,” she said again. “I wish you didn’t have to be quite so good.”

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley (speaker), Conor’s Mother (speaker), Conor’s Grandmother
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
The Rest of the First Tale Quotes

You think I tell you stories to teach you lessons? the monster said. You think I have come walking out of time and earth itself to teach you a lesson in niceness?

Related Characters: The Monster (speaker), Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Grandmother, The Evil Queen, The Young Prince, The Farmer’s Daughter
Page Number: 63
Explanation and Analysis:

There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.

Conor shook his head. “That’s a terrible story. And a cheat.”

It is a true story, the monster said. Many things that are true feel like a cheat. Kingdoms get the princes they deserve, farmers’ daughters die for no reason, and sometimes witches merit saving.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley (speaker), The Monster (speaker), Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, The Evil Queen, The Young Prince, The Farmer’s Daughter
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:
Champ Quotes

“We barely have room for the three of us, Con. Your grandma has a lot more money and space than we do. Plus, you’re in school here, your friends are here, your whole life is here. It would be unfair to just take you out of all that.”

“Unfair to who?” Conor asked.

His father sighed. “This is what I meant,” he said. “This is what I meant when I said you were going to have to be brave.”

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley (speaker), Conor’s Father (speaker), Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother
Page Number: 88
Explanation and Analysis:
Destruction Quotes

She walked right past him, her face twisted in tears, the moaning spilling out of her again. She went to the display cabinet, the only thing remaining upright in the room.

And she grabbed it by one side—

And pulled on it hard once—

Twice—

And a third time.

Sending it crashing to the floor with a final-sounding crunch.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, The Monster, Conor’s Grandmother, The Parson
Page Number: 118
Explanation and Analysis:
Invisible Quotes

His classmates kept their distance from him, too, like he was giving off a bad smell. He tried to remember if he’d talked to any of them since he’d arrived this morning. He didn’t think he had. Which meant he hadn’t actually spoken to anyone since his father that morning.

How could something like that happen?

But, finally, here was Harry. And that, at least, felt normal.

Related Characters: Conor O’Malley, Conor’s Mother, Conor’s Grandmother, Conor’s Father, Harry, Anton, Sully
Page Number: 125
Explanation and Analysis: