“They float,” it growled. “they float, Georgie, and when you’re down here with me, you’ll float to – “

On a rainy day in 1957 - in the small town of Derry, Maine - a six-year-old boy named Georgie Denbrough, clad in his favorite yellow raincoat, finds pleasure in sailing a paper boat made by his older brother alongside the drains of the flooded streets. However, when his boat descends into the depths of one such storm drain, his shocking and unexpected gruesome death would kick off a chain of events that would forever change the lives of everyone in Derry.

The changes would most affect a group of seven teenagers, led by Georgie’s older brother, Bill Denbrough. With his nearly crippling stuttering problem – earning him the nickname ‘Stuttering Bill’, he along with the other members of the ‘The Losers Club’ – Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, Stanley ‘Stan’ Uris, Ben Hanscom, Beverly Marsh, and Mike Hanlon – would experience a summer unlike any other. Bill’s determination to defeat the creature – simply known as ‘IT’ – becomes an all-encompassing obsession which forces he, and his friends, to face their deepest psychological fears, confront and defeat them, while navigating through the usual teenage issues of budding crushes, dangerous bullies, abusive parents, and a town that seemingly doesn’t seem to care.

However, some twenty-seven years later, 1984 to be exact, Derry finds itself experiencing the same strange events that occurred in 1957-58. With the grisly death of a gay young man, Adrian Mellon, The Losers Club is forced to reunite. Now older, wiser (they hope), all quite successful in various works of life, except for Mike, who remained in Derry and was now the town’s head librarian, and also (and perhaps most worrisome of all) with one less member, those once awkward yet brave teens, wonder if they can still pull off the miracle, they achieved all those years ago. With their lives on the line, Bill has to find the strength again to face IT, and to lead his friends back into the deadlights, where they hope to destroy the ‘monster’ once and for all.

If you’ve ever had a fear of clowns, then this novel probably isn’t for you. While it could appeal to readers or fans of the horror genre, it will also find its niche among those who enjoy a good psychological thriller. Toss in the coming-of-age themes that run throughout the book, for despite the horrifying scenes of death, there are the usual tales of teenage rebellion, self-discovery in the way of relationships, the depth of friendships, and how one can overcome childhood traumas to become better adults.

The in-depth storytelling with the teenagers. In my opinion, that makes up the heart of the novel. From the first pages, where we are introduced to Georgie and Bill, just the intimacy of two brothers doing something as simple as making a wax paper boat draws the reader into the world of Derry and all it will entail. We fall in love with young Georgie quickly and experiencing his terrible death leaves us gasping for breath and wondering what, and how, such a creature can inhabit that town while questioning why it preys on seemingly only children.
I also enjoyed the way we are introduced to each character, how the author fleshes out their stories, and makes them more than just two-dimensional placements. We suffer through Bill’s stuttering episodes, where he desperately tries to get his point across, but the words just remain stubbornly stuck within him. Perhaps that is what later makes him become a writer. We cheer for Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier, who could be considered a certified nerd, but is a prankster at heart. His ability to swear at will, while mimicking/impersonating voices is a skill that would come in handy in more ways than one. Then we have Stanley ‘Stan’ Uris, the quiet Jewish boy, whose need to be tidy and proper in all things becomes his vice in adulthood. Eddie Kaspbrak, a small ‘sickly’ boy, is a victim of an overbearing mother who fails to recognize her son’s strengths and stifles his attempts to become himself. Ben Hanscom, is an overweight gentle soul with a penchant for engineering, while penning love poems to the girl of his dreams. And said girl of his dreams, Beverly Marsh, is the lone female who brings the compassion and quiet strength needed for the boys despite an upbringing and a father who acts in quite questionable ways. Last but not least is Mike Hanlon, the lone black kid in the neighborhood, who works on his father’s farm, but is hardly welcome in a town still not quite used to seeing ‘his kind’ around. He would become the foundation for The Losers Club and the reason why they’d need to return twenty-seven years later to finish what they had started.

Maybe it’s because the first time I read the book, I tended to skip those pages, but there were portions where I felt the story dragged on a bit too long. Tales about the town of Derry almost read like a boring history book, and I could barely get through those chapters. However, I have learned now that I miss quite a bit of interesting tidbits that all come together as you get further into the novel.

Read it again! Seriously, it’s a thick book, but I bookmarked several favorite chapters I wanted to explore all over again. I also sought out the made-for-T. V series based on the novel. While it would have been impossible to capture every single nuance of the source material, it did its best and did a great job capturing the essence of The Losers Club as teens. The adult-version was a bit lacking, in my opinion, but they did have a group of stellar actors doing the best they could. Still, nothing beats the novel. And no, I did not watch the latest released movie versions.

A rollercoaster of emotions. What started out as a typical cozy scene between brothers would quickly lead to ‘watching’ a boy being killed in the most dreadful of ways. Warmth and endearment switches to horror, then curiosity, then intrigue, sometimes anger (at the bullying scenes), disgust (at the smothering Mrs. Kaspbrak, Mr. Marsh), the fuzziness of young love (Bill vs. Beverly vs. Ben), to cheering for our Losers Club as they confront their bullies (both human and supernatural), to getting all misty eyed at losing some of our favorite characters, and eventually a weary (perhaps not too hopeful) joy that things have been righted at the end of the novel.

Stephen King. I don’t think I need to say anymore about him. He is the master of this genre.

It is a story worth sinking your teeth into. If you enjoy tales that go beyond cheap horror scenes and the usual jump-scare tactics, then this is the novel for you. King does a fantastic job not just focusing on IT itself, but the events around this ‘monster’. In a way, you almost end up wanting to fight this evil as well, and you experience everything our protagonists go through. Wonderful storytelling.

I love this novel to pieces. Literally. The first copy I purchased is so worn out, it no longer has its covers and all the pages are curled and brown with age. I purchased a new copy, but due to the unfortunate events that took place in my personal life, that was left behind. However, I now own the digital copy – on Kindle – and have the pleasure of re-reading it for the one-millionth time (I kid…or do I?) – whenever and wherever I want.

I was worried about giving away too many spoilers with this review, but I am sure for anyone who takes the time to read this, or even sees the title, should know this story by now. It’s become a pop culture phenomenon, and in a way, I’m glad for the latest movie releases, as it’s made many more people discover the magic that is ‘IT’. As I mentioned earlier, this book is not just about a scary monster/clown that eats kids, its more about how we are able to face our deepest fears and to overcome it.

In closing, there’s a particular quote in the book that stood out to me about what ‘IT’ truly represented. It goes a little something like this:

“Derry is It. Do you understand me? Anyplace we go…when It gets us, they won’t see, they won’t hear, they won’t know. Don’t you see how it is?” - Bill Denbrough.

And that, my friends, is the most terrifying feeling in the world.

Interested in buying this? Support Writing.Com by making your purchase of It: A Novel   from Amazon.Com!

Created Sep 01, 2021 at 2:50pm • Submit your own review...