Joyland
by Stephen King
238 pages
Titan Books, June 2013
mystery/thriller/suspense
Read in 3 days
My Rating: ★★★★
"I had a car, but on most days in that fall of 1973 I walked to Joyland from Mrs. Shoplaw's Beachside Accommodations in the town of Heaven's Bay."
Review: I'm sure those Stephen King fans out there will say this was not the first book I should have read to introduce myself to the master of suspense, but technically it was. Prior to this book I have started 4 Stephen King books but have never been able to finish them, for reasons I won't rant here on a book review.
In any event, I really enjoyed this book. The first person account of Dev was surprisingly easy for me to find commonality with. Sometimes when a book is told in the first person of a male character I quickly get disinterested because I can't relate. But with this book I found myself getting invested in all the characters lives as well as the mystery of who was killing these young beautiful women in the late 60's-early 70's. What's crazy is, when I think back on the book it's as if the mystery wasn't even really the main story. If it were removed completely I think I'd still have found the telling of this carny world just as interesting. But I suppose I've just stumbled upon the genius that makes Stephen King the master of suspense?
Unlike the previous books I've read and refused to finish this one differed in a variety of ways. For starters the ending wasn't so surreal yet real at the same time that I found myself actually in the shoes of the main character. While I enjoy when an author has the ability to put me right there in the story so that their emotions are mine, there are times when it can become a bit TOO real.
I recommend this book to someone who is skeptical about delving into the very real and very scary world of Stephen King. I guarantee it will take you for the ride of your life physically and emotionally. Not only that but it's the kind of book you can get through in a couple days which is always a plus during these Summer months.
Summary: Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
To learn more about Stephen King, visit his site.
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