Recently I read the book “The Body” by Stephen King and it was not at all what I expected. 

The story takes place in the 1960s, with the main character, Gordie, telling the story from the future in a first person point of view. The character (Gordie)  is an author and the book is written as if it was Gordie writing the book, while also including short stories also “written” by him throughout the book. I thought this was very captivating and intriguing, it added so much value to the plot and made the characters jump out of the pages due to the realistic vibe. 

I went into the book completely thinking that this was going to be a thriller or a genre of the sort, something that Stephen King is known for. But, what I surprisingly found was a coming-of-age story about four boys the summer before they went to high-school finding themselves. 

The four boys are good friends in a “gang” of sorts, trying to prove themselves as the most cool and bad guys in town. One of the characters, Vern, comes to their spot, a worn-in tree-house, and reveals that the dead body of a boy has been found by his brother. Vern insisted that they all should go on a trip to find it and see what it looks like. 

Shortly after, they make their plan to go and see it and readers get a glimpse into one of Gordie’s stories. This was some of the most incredible writing I have ever seen. Instead of just having the story being told, it is introduced as copyrighted by the main character along with the date the story was published and a COMPLETE CHANGE IN FONT! 

WHAT!

I am unsure why this was so revolutionary to me but it really gave me a new perspective on writing as a whole. For a moment I checked the cover of the book cause I could no longer believe I was still reading a Stephen King novel. It was incredible. 

The descriptions used in the rest of the short-story were deep, visceral, and disgusting: exactly what I look for when I read a book. When I am reading I want to feel exactly how the characters feel and this story did just that. It details their adventure, fit with thrilling events such as being chased by a rabid dog and running on train tracks while a train was approaching. Throughout, we see Gordie’s character develop into the person that he is today, and we see contrast in the lack of development that two of the other characters go through due to their immaturity. This parallels real world life and relationships where many times we as humans lose friends and grow apart as our values change and the roller-coaster that is life runs. 

I would completely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a short read, who isn’t afraid of some vivid details. 10/10 from me. 

(As soon as I finished reading it I bought my own copy :))