Abell Library's Blog

Author Spotlight: Stephen King by Hayden Claborn '24

There are very few authors who have punctured the popular consciousness like Stephen King. If you haven’t read a King novel, you’ve most certainly seen an adaptation. Not unlike Cormac McCarthy or Charles Dickens, he’s an author who almost defies genre in that his style is a genre in of itself. There is a reason why his name is often evoked. His work represents an imagination that shows no boundaries.

Despite going to the same charter school with less than 100 kids per grade my whole life, I didn’t have a whole lot of friends. I knew plenty of people, but very few I’d consider a friend. I was sixteen years old when I read Stephen King’s It and in the same way readers wanted to visit Hogwarts after reading Harry Potter, I had a twisted desire to visit the town of Derry, Maine. Within that town laid a friend group I envied: the Losers Club. A group of preteens in the late 1950s who were always there for each other until they could no longer be. For being a 1200 page doorstop, I read It three or four times in high school and another time my freshman year (maybe it’s time for a reread?). I’ve rarely ever encountered characters that felt so real and in turn the Losers became my friends. They might be stagnant but they’ll always be there when I need them.

But It is also a deeply confrontational novel. King weaves a tale that is about the rot of America. The character of Pennywise, a shape-shifting clown, represents how evil is this cosmic entity that has infested the Earth, rearing its ugly head every 27 years. The novel combats the Leave it to Beaver narrative of the 1950s in shocking and grotesque ways: racism, abuse, and violence. King might not tackle all these themes perfectly, but even today It feels risky.

However, if you’re not into horror I’d recommend 2011’s 11/22/63. While still a massive book, this is a story rich with historical detail. We follow high school English teacher Jake Epping as he goes back in time to stop the assassination of JFK. The novel demonstrates one of King’s best abilities, having a new spin on a certain story. His gift for writing characters makes 11/22/63 unique in the realm of time travel stories. Never has the subject felt so real and intimate.

If you’re looking for something more manageable I’d recommend 1981’s Cujo. Written in the midst of King’s drug addiction, the novel is one of his most terrifying works: a saint Bernard retrieves rabies after getting bitten by a bat and terrorizes the residents of Castle Rock, Maine. What’s remarkable is how King is able to combine a domestic small town drama with a pulpy premise. He carefully sets up all the ways this situation can go wrong. I’ll warn you this is a very fatalistic book and ain’t for the faint of heart.

The final King book I’ll recommend is 1975’s Salems’ Lot. I read this around the same time as It which will forever make it special (both are the King books I’ve read the most). There is a vivid sense of community in the narrative. King never gets lost in his large casts of characters whose town soon gets overrun by vampires. The book oozes a gothic atmosphere and would highly encourage reading around Halloween time.