All right guys…it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. The moment where I announce that last night, I finished It. I have conquered by far, the longest book I have ever read. It may have taken me almost a year, BUT I DID IT. IT IS COMPLETE. BACK ON THE BOOKSHELF, I SAY.
That being said….what the actual f*@%? Like….what. the. Heck. Ya’ll. This book is just plain weird. Don’t get me wrong, it was phenomenal…but weird.
Let me take a step back.
When I started this book, I was terrified. Literally, it made me jumpy every time I read it. But I was instantly pulled in every time I cracked the spine. The world building and the character development is top notch, and that alone would have me recommending this book to someone who wanted a deep dive read. I really enjoyed the back and forth between the present and the past – which surprises me because I usually don’t like stuff like that. I’m a pretty basic reader – give me one point of view and a linear plot and I’m happy. This book really challenged that for me, which I find – now that I’m finished with it – awesome. I am not a fan of POV changes throughout books, usually because it always inevitably lands on a character I don’t like, and though there were certainly dislikable characters in It, I thoroughly enjoyed every single story line. Even the icky ones that freaked me the hell out. I also really appreciated how King pulls in super minor characters for their own little splash of narrative, particularly in the Derry scenes during the second flood. It was cool to get momentary snapshots into those character’s lives. I think it says a lot about the writer that moments such as these are not seen as fluff, but as vital to the lifeblood of the story.
But here’s where it got…strange. My question here is: why, man? If you’ve read this, you know of what I speak. Was that necessary? Truly? I suppose in the grand scheme of the book, it can make sense – a last resort that a desperate mind might jump to. But…the deeper part of this question is: how do you write that? Like, how do you sit at your desk and spin a tale of terror, and then write that? Maybe I’m harping on it too much. Maybe it’s too fresh in my mind because I literally finished the book last night. Maybe it’s just my maternal instinct and my emotional attachment to these characters that I’m like, “Okay so I have a lot of questions and first of all, you’re a sweet little twelve year old child and also, I have some safety questions and concerns and WHY.” To say that I am disturbed more by the actions of the characters than by the actual horror story, is an understatement. Am I overreacting? Possibly. I mean, they’re fictional characters. But my reaction is what it is, and honestly the only way to work it out in my brain is by writing it down here. So…yeah. If anyone wants to chat about this, let your girl know.
Overall, I did enjoy this book. It was dark and disturbing, it took me many months to finish and I may have put it down for weeks at a time, but I did enjoy it. It’s 100% not for the sensitive reader. Like, at all. But it’s a good read and I feel that it was worth the time I put into it, which for this doorstop, is actually what matters here.
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