Review: It- The Thing- Stephen King

It- The Thing must be the best known work of Stephen King. Even if not everyone has read this great and extensive book, the clown Pennywise, which stars in horror, is known by all and, with the help of film adaptations, ends up having its plot known without the need for a complete reading.

In the book, every 27 years a threat, which poses as Pennywise but is popularly known as Thing, attacks the city of Derry, Maine. This thing seems to be particularly interested in children and for months they disappear and are later found dead. The group known as "The Suckers", formed by the children Bill, Richie, Stan, Mike, Eddie, Ben and Beverly faced the Thing for the first time in 1958, in an attempt to avenge the death of georgie, younger brother of Bill. In 1985, Pennywise is back and the group must return to face this threat again, as they are the only ones who have the knowledge to defeat it.

It looks like an ordinary horror, but It- The Thing it goes much further. Stephen King deals with prejudice, behavioral deviations, nurturing problems and other relevant issues in its plot. As much as the main focus is on the horror surrounding the deaths, many criticisms are made all the time.

The most glaring criticisms are focused on the group of children who stars in the work. each of them suffers Bullying– usually from the bully Henry and your class- or problems at home, for different reasons. Ben is fat; Richie wears glasses, as well as getting in trouble for having his tongue loose; Stan is Jewish and, like Mike who is black, suffers persecution for it; Eddie is a hypochondriac because of his overprotective mother; Beverly suffers from being called a slut just for having male friends, as well as suffering domestic violence and, finally, Bill stutters and feels abandoned by his parents after his brother's death.

And these are just the main problems the book addresses. As the reading progresses, other characters are developed and other relevant subjects are dealt with. From psychopathic tendencies to homophobia, King impresses for being able to explore numerous social issues and for his ability to develop very well all the characters presented, even if they have appeared a few times.

"In a nutshell, Derry School was the typical messy educational carnival, a circus with so many rings that Pennywise himself might have gone unnoticed."

With 1004 pages, It- The Thing it is a reading that requires patience and perhaps a good deal of courage. Stephen King it is usually descriptive, unafraid of daring both in language and in events, and this one is no different. However, although at times it can be a little tiring, it is exactly this wealth of details that gives quality to the work, being responsible for the suspense that manages to completely hold the reader's attention and for the enormous psychological terror present.

It-A Thing it turned out to be a more than gratifying read. With great content, an incredibly tight plot, a huge load of horror -both in violence and psychologically-, good comic relief in accurate parts and captivating characters, the book makes up for the large number of pages and leaves a gratifying feeling in its outcome.