IT

I've always been a voracious reader, picking up any book that comes my way. I refuse to put a book down good or bad until I read the last page. Due to the amount of torture I put myself through because of the self imposed rule, I try to be very choosy about the books I read. Most books slip out of my conciousness once I finish reading them, leaving me with a sense of satisfaction of not having given up even when the reading became a task rather than pleasure. Some books, however, leave me wondering at how beautifully they were written, how seamlessly the story moves and when I finish reading these books, I know that I will be reading them again and again...and again.

One of the first books that made me aware of this is 'IT' by Stephen King. Oh all the standard Stephen King fare is dished out. The horrifyingly evil presence, the gruesome details of the sights and smells of death, all that sets the pulse racing, all that King is known and admired for; but in this novel, the way that he's woven the past and the present, seamlessly integrating the childhood and adult lives of seven people allows no time for the reader to let his mind wander even for a bit.

The plot drilled down to its essence is pretty simple. Seven pre-teens, each of them an outcast among peers find strength in each other and form deep friendships. They also find and fight an evil creature that preys on the town's kids. Unsure that they had been able to vanquish it, they promise to return if it ever reappears. Twenty-eight years later, as children are being murdered again, they return. As they prepare to battle 'IT' again, they also confront the horrors they had repressed for years. With age, not only has innocence been depleted, so has foolhardy courage. And there is the battle; the battle with an evil presence, and the battle with adult minds that constantly reinforce that the supernatural does not exist. To fight 'IT', they need to believe again, and the fight to regain belief is almost as difficult as the fight to kill 'IT'.

King has an affinity for writing books that deal with a lot of characters. What other authors might find a daunting task, King manages so effortlessly that it shows in the book. There are no jagged edges when he moves between the past and present in the same chapter. No lapses in the stories that bring seven people from very different backgrounds yesterday and today. He manages to make the insignificant people contribute to the main characters' and the plot's development so well, that as you read more it is not possible to isolate each incident individually.

The book is meant to be looked at as a whole, not parts, not segmented into phases. And it delivers. One cannot pick favourite characters, or favourite phases, or favourite chapters. Each blends, fits perfectly into another.

It is, however, a little slow to begin, takes a little time to build the pace. And, being a Stephen King book, there is a lot of horror, and none of it is subtle. There are bloody, gory chapters explained in great detail. If you have a very visual imagination, King's description is enough to conjure up every scene in your head, it will be like reading the book and playing the movie at the same time.

It has been and remains one of my favourite books. Despite the fact that since I first picked it up almost ten years ago, I have read a lot of others that are almost as good, none of them makes me feel as good when I reread them.

If you like books that you can get lost in, that you can feel everything the characters feel and ofcourse if you like a good bit of horror to spice up your read, pick up a copy of the book.

'IT'... will leave its mark!!