It

Read from Wednesday, February 15th to Wednesday, March 7th.

It, the classic, epic horror novel by Stephen King.  Got this book at a used book sale at the place where I volunteer.  Only a buck for 1100 pages of writing.  Reading horror novels like this are out of my comfort zone, but it was a nice break and change of pace.  I also rented the movie from Netflix after I finished reading the book, and it compared pretty well.

Seven kids from Derry, Maine form a Losers Club in 1958.  They are all outcasts and nerds, and they band together after one's little brother dies.  But they soon realize that it was no accident, nor is it a normal string of murders affecting the town, but actually a supernatural creature/beast/spiritual force that feeds on the town of Derry.  This beast is called It, and it takes the form of a clown with balloons most of the time, but in reality is a shapeshifter and looks like your worst fear at other times.  At various times, It looks like a werewolf, a mummy, a giant bird, leeches, and a giant spider, as well as inhabiting certain townspeople.

The Losers are composed of Bill, the stuttering leader and whose brother was killed; Richie 'trashmouth' the non-stop talking voice impersonator; Ben the aspiring architect who is overweight, Eddie the hypochondriac; Stan the neat and tidy Jewish Boy Scout; Mike the black historian/librarian; and Beverly the dreamboat all the boys love but who is beaten by her dad and later husband.  In 1958, the Losers believed that had defeated the monster, but they made a pact to return to Derry if It ever came back, (It awoke in Derry every 28 years to feed, they were able to trace the pattern back hundreds of years). The novel begins in 1985 with Mike calling the rest of the Losers to announce that It had awoken and was killing kids again.  The rest of the group are obliged to return with hopes of killing It once and for all.  Stan would rather commit suicide than face It again. 

The novel traces both stories simultaneously, telling the events in 1958 alongside their return in 1985.  There are many similarities, as the characters resume certain traits they had in their childhood, like Bill's stutter.  I'll start with 1958.  All the kids are chased at various times by Henry Bowers, the school bully who gradually turns into a psychotic killer throughout the book.  They are chased into the Barrens, a woodsy/marshy area in the middle of town, and the Losers establish a hideout there.  But they can't ignore all the other kids being killed around them.  The adults are in denial, and there seems to be a haze of memory loss among grown-ups.  The kids have all had separate experiences escaping from It, but they decide to fight back.  When they bond together as a group, they seem to have better luck, or super powers, they can use to fight.  They invade a haunted house, and shoot It with a silver ball from a slingshot, wounding It. 

Eventually, they are forced into the sewers after being chased by Henry.  They know that it is in the sewers in which It resides.  But, being propelled by Henry, the Losers are forced to confront It.  Each of the Losers has a strength that they use to almost kill It.  Richie uses his voices, Bev uses her love, Ben uses his architect skills, Eddie his sense of navigation, Mike his understanding of history, and Stan his love of birds.  In the sewers, two of Henry's buddies are killed by It, and Henry is driven completely to insanity.  Bill is transported to another dimension by It, and Richie goes after him, and they somehow wound It.  Instead of finishing It off, they decide to run away.  (There is a weird scene here:  while trying to get out of the sewers, they get panicked and lost.  So in order to calm everyone down, Beverly lets all the boys make love to her, to show how much she loves everyone.  But remember, these are all 11 and 12 year old kids.  Involved in essentially a gang-bang.  Weird.)

28 years later, in 1985, It begins killing kids again.  The Losers, with the exception of Stan, return to Derry.  They have forgotten almost everything about that summer in 1958, but gradually the fog begins to lift and they remember more details and events  (these memory revelations are where King goes back to telling what happened in 1958).  The Losers are all very successful adults.  Ben's an architect, Bill a writer, Bev a fashion designer, Eddie owns a limo company, Richie is a famous DJ and Mike is the town librarian.  He is the only one who stayed in Derry.  No one was able to conceive children.  While reconnecting, King cuts away to the insane asylum, where It helps Henry escape, talking to him through the moon, and convincing him to kill them all.  Henry attack Mike in the library, and nearly kills him, but Mike wounds Henry, and then Eddie is able to finish him off.  The Losers know they need to go into the sewers that first night in Derry, and they follow the same path back to the lair of It.  This time, they are able to kill the monster, although Eddie is killed in the process.  Bill's wife had followed them into the sewers, but she was paralyzed by It, and they had to carry her out of the sewers after.  The town of Derry is nearly destroyed by a storm in the aftermath.  The rest of the gang slowly lose their memories of what happened once again, and they return to their respective lives.

This was an entertaining book.  It was light reading for the most part, and only slightly scary at times.  Definitely some cheesy and unexplained moments, especially at the climaxes in 1958 and 85.  As I mentioned, the sex scene was very strange, and thankfully not shown in the movie.  The novel was very long, and probably could have been condensed, but many of the fears that King expounds on are very realistic.  He shows, in a simplistic way, how our own personal traumas can affect the way we perceive the world.  King is also a fantastic writer, with his style, dialogue, and character development. And the town of Derry became very realistic and detailed. Worth checking out.  Four out of five stars.