Joyland

“It’s hard to let go. Even when what you’re holding onto is full of thorns.” 

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but sometimes you do. Joyland (2013, Stephen King) caught my eye at Barnes and Noble late one Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago.

The cover is a drawing of a young woman, with bright red hair, in a beautiful emerald dress, her back against a wall, with a surprised looked on her face.  In the background, an amusement park on fire brightens a dark star-less sky. I picked it up and started reading. I was thoroughly intrigued, so I bought it.

I’m very glad it’s usually the weekend when I discover these types of books, because I stayed awake (almost) all night reading, and finished it the next morning.

It’s the story of Devin. He ended up along the shores of North Carolina, working at an old dilapidated amusement park called Joyland. He was on summer break from the University of New Hampshire. He had recently experienced a harsh breakup – his first love had broken his heart. He was truly a sorry sight: depressed and morose. There were moments he was even suicidal.

So Devin decided to give Joyland a try, at least it would keep him busy and (he hoped) distracted him through the end of summer.

He started work as the park mascot, Howie the Happy Hound. One fine day, as he was walking around waving noiselessly, interacting with the crowd, he spotted a little girl choking on a hot dog. He reacted instantly, ripping off the furry costume head of Howie. He pounded the little girl on the back, dislodging the hot dog, saving her life. Afterward, there was an article in the paper about his supposed heroics. The park owner was very grateful for his quick actions. The park was old and dilapidated, and stumbled along slowly. Publicity was bad enough, but rumor had it there was a ghost haunting one of the rides.

I won’t reveal more about this story because, after all, it is a mystery. There slices of drama, suspense, love, and many surprising unexpected twisty turns. This was my second Stephen King book, and l loved how he skillfully intertwined all of these different elements. It was a joy to read, and I am hoping to soon find a similar tome.

This post is part of the 31 Days of Bibliophilia series.