IT by Stephen King

 IT

by Stephen King

When they were eleven years old, seven kids in Derry, Maine started to experience an evil in their town that preys on children every 27 years. It is a shapeshifter that takes the form of their biggest fears, but often shows itself as Pennywise the clown. After little George Denbrough is killed in a sewer grate, his older brother Bill and Bill's group of friends, called the Losers, takes on the task of hunting IT down and killing it.

Years later, as adults, they are called back to Derry by one of the group who tells them they made the promise to return if IT should ever come back. Only six of them reunite. One just couldn't face IT and kills himself. These six reminisce to regain their memories which were lost when they left Derry. They forgot all about one another and about IT. But now, once they start to remember, they plan to find IT and kill it for good.

This is probably one of King's most beloved books, and I can understand why it is so well loved. It is a massive tome, a coming of age novel set against a backdrop of evil. It is about a group of friends who feel such a profound sense of love and devotion to one another that they would do anything, go anywhere, face any danger. This is the typical King story of kids who have some sort of psychic connection, a strong bond of outcasts, set in small town America. In IT, King raises his literary abilities to a higher level. The horror factor is high in this one, but the descriptions of youth and that nostalgic feeling of those you grew up with having lasting and profound impacts on you is strong. I liked all of the kids, and the side characters (your typical town folk and bullies) added depth and suspense to the story. They were well done, if typical in their one-dimensionality, at times.

I will say that the book is too long and could have been better if a lot of the extraneous stuff was removed. There was a lot of backstory and side stories that were unnecessary to the essential heart of the book. I struggled to focus in some parts and my mind wandered at those times. I will also say that I didn't see the point of the controversial sex scene toward the end, which added no value to the story. It wasn't grotesquely done, but it didn't help the story in any way.

I did enjoy the book and felt like I achieved something when I got to the end of its over 1100 pages. I felt something for the kids and their love for one another. It was well done and really brought me back to childhood and all of those kid fears. Overall, a very good King book. This is a story about sublimation, cultural amnesia, becoming numb to ever-present evils, forgetting and remembering, the things we hide and the things we hide from.

I give IT 4 stars.