The Knife Of Never Letting Go

I liked this because it reminded me of The Hunger Games. This is about a society that left the "Old World" (which sounds like current society Earth) to go live in "New World" to live a simpler existence. But that doesn't happen because the new settlers are exposed to an alien germ that enables them all to read each others minds (including animals) which drives them insane because its translated into a lot of "noise".

It takes a long time for the story to get to the point where the reader understands why certain things are happening to the young narrator Todd Hewitt..who was born on New World and is confused himself about everything he has ever known/or been told about this "New World" that is supposed to be better than the "Old World". The novel also leaves you hanging, which I'm not sure I liked because now I have to read the second one!