See No Evil

Stephen King - IT

 

 

The first thing that every perspective reader will notice about this novel is the sheer size of it! Do not let these 1376 pages impair your decision to read in any way, however, as it is truly a book of epic proportions. 

As an avid reader of King's work I hold this particular piece high above the rest. Written with impeccable attention to detail he allows the reader to clearly (a little too clear at times!) picture each and every element from Pennywise The Clown, to something as simple as a stream or tree. With each character cleverly and carefully planned out, King organised individual back-stories to accompany the main plot, which really thickens out the readers feelings and hopes for each person. 

It must be said, however, that as much as i loved this book there were a few tiny occasions that confused me for a few seconds. The story starts with a gang of school friends being haunted and provoked by Pennywise, who returns to Derry many years later when the children are adults. From here King flits between telling the story in adult life and childhood, sometimes switching half way through a sentence!

One thing that really stood out for me while reading this book were "The Derry Interludes", these occurred several times throughout the book and provide a narrative description of events taking place in Derry while the main characters are trying to save everyone from the murderous and blood-thirsty clown. These intermissions are incredibly graphic and the imagery is unrivalled. 

Taking just over 4 years to complete, this book is solid evidence that Stephen King is rightly called  "one of the great story tellers of our time."