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A review by chadconnecticut
It by Stephen King
adventurous
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Two things about this book are true: that something being popular does not preclude it from being good, and that SK was deep in his cocaine years when this book was written, and it shows.
There are moments of brilliance. King’s prose is lush and evocative, and his examinations of fear and coming of age are beautiful, haunting, and sad. The violence is gripping; the horror is affecting.
Is the book too long by at least 300 pages? Absolutely. Is Richie Tozier a tough character to read from a contemporary lens (especially in an audiobook)? Of course. But the DNA of modern horror can be found all over this book, and the literary landscape wouldn’t be the same without it.
I doubt I’ll read it a second time, but my perspective on the horror canon has been enriched for having read it. King is good. This book is good. The Scene That Will Never Make It Into Adaptations is…a choice that I wouldn’t make personally, nor do I think it would hold up in contemporary fiction, but in the context of both the narrative and the time in which it was written, it wasn’t as jarring and awful as I expected.
There are moments of brilliance. King’s prose is lush and evocative, and his examinations of fear and coming of age are beautiful, haunting, and sad. The violence is gripping; the horror is affecting.
Is the book too long by at least 300 pages? Absolutely. Is Richie Tozier a tough character to read from a contemporary lens (especially in an audiobook)? Of course. But the DNA of modern horror can be found all over this book, and the literary landscape wouldn’t be the same without it.
I doubt I’ll read it a second time, but my perspective on the horror canon has been enriched for having read it. King is good. This book is good. The Scene That Will Never Make It Into Adaptations is…a choice that I wouldn’t make personally, nor do I think it would hold up in contemporary fiction, but in the context of both the narrative and the time in which it was written, it wasn’t as jarring and awful as I expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Blood