Review: It

It by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

IT is one of my favourite Stephen King novels although I haven't read it in a long time. I decided to listen to IT on audiobook in preparation for the film adaptation - I didn't quite make it but enjoyed both immensely. Growing up, IT, Salem's Lot and The Stand were my favourites. King excels when he has a large cast, especially one with child protagonists, married to a great plot. Sometimes, Tommyknockers is an example, it doesn't work but, when it does, there are few to beat him.

Memory plays tricks. I remembered almost every plot point and scene in IT but was convinced that the adult, 1985 plot bookended the children, 1958 story - they are actually intercut, the story of the Losers' first battle with the evil presence in Derry being old in flashback interweaving with their return to face IT again as grownups. As the two stories race to a conclusion the time jumps increase in pace and frequency, bashing up against each other in a frenzied climax.

I love this huge book and loved revisiting IT. IT is not perfect and there is one ill-judged scene towards the end which is more jarring than it was 30 years ago (and which the movie sensibly side-stepped) but IT is frightening and entertaining. I may revisit Salem's Lot to see if I remember it as well. It's about vampires, isn't it...?

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