Joyland by Stephen King

Joyland

by

Stephen King

The idea of a crime novel from one of my all-time favorite authors intrigued me.  While I wasn’t sure what to expect, I had no doubts that he would pull off a decent story.  I was, however, surprised by just how much I enjoyed it.

The über-short synopsis … Devin Jones is a college kid who takes a summer job at Joyland, an amusement park in North Carolina.  Naturally, some quirky stuff happens, too.  And don’t forget the crime.

King deviated from his usual formula with a reduced focus on the supernatural components in the plot, and an increased focus on human-to-human interaction, the crime/mystery in the story, and one of the lesser-known tribes of American society: old school amusement park personnel (aka carnies).

Don’t misunderstand me … there is still something supernatural.  It just steered the story in a subtle way.  Not everybody floats at Joyland, Georgie, and there’s no REDRUM.

If that’s the hardcore King you be craving, mateys, you should probably grab another of his tomes.  The description is pretty clear about that.

If you’re looking for the other end of the spectrum, a Robert Parker or Lawrence Block style crime novel, it’s not that, either.

It’s a beautiful sweet spot, somewhere in the middle of the tennis racket.  Recommended for anyone with an open mind to a different kind of King story.

Cheers.