JOYLAND by Stephen King

4 Stars

Forlorn and melancholic.

A summer of adventure at a pleasure park in North Carolina as Devin Jones earns money for college. Except, it turns out to be that pivotal moment when he shifts from childhood innocence to adult. Heartbroken and adrift, he finds a home among the rabble of Joyland regulars who see him as one of their own.

All places with enough invested develop a soul, legends that surround it. Dev becomes obsessed with the ghost of Linda Gray; victim of a gruesome crime and dumped in the park. Dev tells the story of the mystery, the culture of Joyland, of friendships made, and those things lost.

All I can say is what you already know: some days are treasure. Not many, but I think in almost every life there are a few.

I haven't read King in over a decade, so I was a little surprised by how emotional and depressed this was. It makes sense that writers change and grow, reflecting their lives, but it was unexpected. In many ways, this was far more satisfying than the macabre spectacle that I was anticipating. Who the heck cries reading Stephen King?

Me, apparently. 

Anyway, I liked this immensely. Reading it at the end of summer, filled with that impending nostalgia made it better. The rating probably reflects a bit of my surprise in the trajectory of the story, but I'm happy I bought it and even happier that it wasn't what I thought I'd purchased. 

Favorite lines: 

Mike turned to me. “Now I know what my kite feels like,” he said.

So did I."