IT by Stephen King
Modern Horror
Firstly, yes, I am one of those people who likes to scare themselves stupid with horror films. From the sophisticated to the downright ridiculous, I’ve seen them all, and I’m not ashamed to admit it!
So, this book needs no introduction whatsoever. It is a modern horror classic, and just the mention of the title will bring most out in a cold sweat. This book is one of the most memorable of my childhood – yes, my mother is fairly liberal and allowed me to read this stuff when I was young (thanks for getting me hooked on reading and writing, Mum! (Big kisses and thumbs up!!!)). By the age of 10, I had graduated from Puddle Lane books (1980’s children’s book series – Google it) to Roald Dahl and C.S. Lewis (again, no explanation necessary), on to the amazing Mr King. Getting a new book was the highlight of any given day for me – and that hasn’t changed to this day!
Right then, unless you are under a certain age, or have been living under a rock for the last three decades, almost everyone knows the story of IT or has seen one of the film adaptations. I originally read this as I ‘accidentally’ watched the film that was made of it in the 1990’s. Needless to say, Tim Curry as Pennywise was absolutely outstanding, and I’ve hated clowns ever since! That said, I’m eagerly counting down the days until Chapter 2 is released, hence why I’m reading this again.
For those who are new to the amazing Mr King’s work, IT is the story of a group of misfit kids, AKA The Losers Club. Over the course of a long, hot summer, it becomes obvious that something isn’t quite right in their perfect town; children have gone missing, adults turn a blind eye, no one seems to care…
IT, however, is watching. IT is waiting to manipulate their fears and phobias and ensure they eventually float…
This is a lengthy book – over twelve hundred pages – and is set over two time periods; the first when they are children and the second when they are adults. It’s definitely not a one-sitting reading experience – or a ‘just a few page before bed’ recommendation – unless you want nightmares!
Finally, If horror isn’t really your reading thing, I also highly recommend SK’s The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. Both have been made into Hollywood blockbusters, but both are amazing novels from one of the greatest authors of our time.
Happy reading,
Elle X