[Contains Spoilers]
To put it foolishly IT is about a bunch of kids who tried to do homework assigned to them by the Other fails the first time tries again 27 years later and then succeeds - or they think they did. The homework is, killing the being that haunts the town of Derry, Maine from a long time.
The Novel starts with a small boy - George Denborough - playing on a stormy morning with a paper boat made by his brother, Bill Denborough - who is sort of the hero of this novel. We are introduced to the elephant in the room - Pennywise The Clown in the second page itself.
As in any horror novel, George is killed by Pennywise the clown by amputating off his hand from the body. The Scene is horrifying give it a read. This is the start of long list of events that happen in Derry on 1958.
The story comes back and forth between 1958 and 1985 walks through how, Bill and his friends - The Losers Club - come together defeating their own devils and try to kill It.
- Big Bill – The Unprecedented Leader of the Club
- Ben – The building and execution guy whatever losers think, he executes
- Bev – The only girl in the club, sort of heroine in the Novel but mind you she’s not a damsel in distress.
- Eddie – The compass of the Losers, guy holds an aspirator always
- Mike – The black boy in the club, sort of strong character here
- Stan – The Jewish guy, sort of weak guy
- Richie – The Infamous Richie Trashmouth, the humour comes from this guy
There are several characters in the novel other than these guys like the skateboard kid, Bill’s wife, Bev’s husband Tom etcetera. But the above are the main ones the story moves around.
I am not going for a summary here, don’t expect it, I am just ranting about the greatness of this book and how incredible stephen king is, as a story teller.
Mind you, IT creeps you out. There are literally nightmares where I am running through an abandoned corridor and someone is chasing me with squishy slippers and shoes. I would always wake up with penny wise’s face laughing maniacally.
The Book in some ways is a window towards your childhood. King captures the perfect childhood we used to feel. The horrors in the dark, how we used to get scared in the night about the unseen ghosts.
He captures the childhood insecurities. our friends, how we used to bond with them and share our deepest secrets and cookies. The Book captures everything, Mainly how powerful we are as kids when we think we can achieve anything and everything in this world.
Character development in King’s novel is so smooth and well written that we think that the guy is actually feeling the pain and fear.
The scenes with Beverly and Tom will always be imprinted on my mind. When Tom dies looking at the deadlights, I gave a whoop - literally.
There is something a single individual cannot do. But when we group together and starting working on the problem, we realise this herculian task can’t be done by a single individual. Not just physically but emotionally as well. Everyone has their problems. Bill’s loss. Beverly’s pain as her father is close to a psychopath and hurts her for smallest mistakes. Eddie’s overprotective mother. Stan’s Jewish descent. Mike’s a black guy and in 1958, people are not so liberal about a coloured guy. Richie can’t cope up with loneliness, that’s why he uses his trashmouth to let the silence away. Ben is the fat boy who everyone abuses, His infactuation towards Beverly.
There was a scene in the novel, where the encounter It with a silver slug, after everything’s over, Ben realises that the love between Beverly and Bill is mutual. Ben thinks
He can never love you as I did Beverly, that’s for sure.
I felt how Ben’s lost fight in loving Beverly, and was surprised, how king captured this feeling in a 11 year old boy that subtly.
Bill’s and Richie’s confrontation with Pennywise for the first time, The werewolf scene is so good. Through Richie’s persepective, king captured the deadly danger that is awaiting the kids and how Bill is ready for it.
There are several hundred such incredible scenes in the novel that are not filled with horror but with emotion.