Like so many horror writers and horror fans, I came of age reading Stephen King. The creepy happenings at the Overlook Hotel were far more compelling, as I recall, than anything my teachers had to say. Joyland, one of SK’s latest, conjures a good portion of nostalgia as it reads very much like vintage King. In some ways, it’s as if the master wrote this book, forgot about it and then sent the found manuscript to the printer. This isn’t what happened, of course. Not with lines like this:

“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take it from me, you’re fucking lost.”

This elegant piece of internal-thought captures the essences of a life that’s in the fourth quarter with no time-outs left. A character’s reflections on the passage of time is nothing new. As far as theme goes, it’s been used over and over again. SK adds his own twist. He utilizes this arena within a compelling ghost / crime story that leaves the reader full of the character’s emotion, but reflecting on his own. Given the dedication, one gets the feeling that he’s spent some time pondering the stories he’s lived and the characters in them.

If you haven’t already, read this book. All for now. I’m off to buy a copy of Dr. Sleep. LL