Sep 04, 2013 12:37 PM
1011 Views
“WHO DARES ENTER THE FUNHOUSE OF FEAR..?” reads the tantalizing tagline of renowned fiction novelist Stephen King’s new novel titled JOYLAND. King, who has given us such brilliant works namely The Shining, Carrie, Cujo etc.. seems to be back this time in the good old tradition of trashy hard-boilers with what critics sometimes denote as – “light read literature”. The author, who already have made candid opinions on the need & importance of appreciating genre literature, seems to have taken his loyalty to the next level with his new book and as far as entertainment quotient I’ve to say – It’s really up there with one of his best works yet.
The book is short and compact containing some 280 ode pages and comes with paperback as well as audio book format. The paperback is published by Hard case Crime, the popular publisher for Crime thrillers and horror novels and the Audio book is narrated terrifically well by _ (The bookstall people have given me the audio CD along with the book for free..!!!). I bought the book from Blossoms bookstall in Brigade Road, Bangalore for a mere 200 rs (Discounted price) and considering the fact that I got a CD along with the paperback, it’s a really good value addition to my small library collection. The pulpy, nostalgic cover features a lady in green tights, flared up neckline, blazing red hair, sexy thighs and scared looks with wide open mouth –The kind of setting you need especially for a horror story.
Before I get in to the heart of the novel, let me give you a brief intro on Stephen King as to who he is and where he is from. Stephen Edward King, 65, was born in Sep 12th 1947 at Portland. He is a fiction novelist and has written countless short stories on various topics such as Sci Fi, Horror, Mystery and suspense etc. He is popularly known as the Alfred Hitchcock of crime fictions and has received so many awards on literature. He is one of handful of writers who produce both professional literature and also genre work. The only writers who possess such versatility are F. Scott Fitzerberg and Graham Greene way back from the 50’s. In addition to such a towering work like The Great Gatsby, Fitzerberg also wrote movie screenplays during the great depression for the purpose of survival. Greene on the other hand have also produced such entertainers in Our man in Havana alongside such serious reads as The Power of Glory and one of my all time favorite mystery thrillers named The Third Man, which was later converted in to a Movie starring Joseph Cotton and Orson Wells.
Still what makes King so unique and different from all his imitators and contemporaries is the fact that he has this uncanny knack of bringing the readers in to the protagonist’s head and there are countless sequences in Joyland which proves the same. Our protagonist here is one Mr. Devin Jones – AN American who comes to Northern Carolina after he is done with his Junior Cambridge in the 1970’s. As soon as he finishes his college days, Devin comes to a Northern Carolina seaside amusement park called Joyland, as a Caretaker. Shortly after he takes the Job in the park, Jones’s lady love leaves him, throwing him in to a period of dangerously deep depression ( as dark as the deep waters of the pacific ) as he tries to overcome the crushing blows of a first time break up. King takes us through Devin’s coming of age formative years to the disillusioned adulthood, infused with tangible moments of age old wisdom. As the Great Stanley Kubrick once quoted, while promoting The Shining -- A Stephen King book would not be complete without an element of the supernatural. The narrative shifts from back to forth as Devin discovers the darkly haunting truths about the park – years ago a girl was brutally murdered in the funhouse and since then, it’s said, her ghost haunts the spot. Same time, one of Devin’s acquaintances, does some spy work and learns that the murder occurred long ago, was of similar present ones and the killer may still be on the loose. The “funhouse victim” was never discovered and Devin becomes enamored with the paranormal and solving the case. He simultaneously meets a young mother and her handicapped son, and as their relationship begins to flourish, the ghost of the young woman becomes even more important. King ties the two seemingly separate storylines together masterfully, culminating in to a heart-pounding climax which has the power to touch and inspire millions of readers.
By the time you get to the core of the book, there are chances you may dismiss Joyland as a "warm up exercise" in the authors lengthy career span but don’t do so because fortunately there are other attributes to it that are likely to enhance the readers interest considerably. One of them is the language King’s characters uses – It’s a kind of French carnie patois plus King’s own linguistic inventions. (The author offers the following defense in the footnote – Folks that’s why they call it fiction). In the Joyland verbal Slang: A “Fump” is an unending complainer, a “Dommiker” is a bathroom, “Point” is a beautiful young woman and “Conie” is a Florid … and so on.. It takes some time to get used with the delirious linguistic in Stephen King but as and when you do, it’s definitely entertaining to say the least. As far as characterization is concerned -- Devin is one fascinating guy that I’ve encountered in recent times—may be because his battle with depression holds unnerving similarities with my own. It’s the little details that King adds make Devin so easily relatable. As Devin explains, he spent his summer “reading The Lord of the Rings, ” He continues, “Also wrote a fair amount of poetry, which I am now, embarrassed even to think about.” Anyone who has ever been ditched can easily relate to Devin’s delusions but it’s the way the author trims down from the protagonist’s struggle what makes his novel a worthy read.
The storyline is enriched with an array of excellent supporting characters. There is Tom, an American boy rattled by his witnesses in the funhouse, a divorced beachgoer and her dying son and also a smart young lady with whom Devin has a fatal attraction. In addition to the cast, King sparkles the novel with timely poised twists and turns and an uncanny sense of “what’s next suspense”. Despite its trashy subject matter the reason why we continue reading Joyland is because it keeps us on the edge pretty much all the time. Who murdered the girl in the fun house..? Is there another murder in the purview…? Joyland is quick reading and its pleasures are little childlike ones. But still one gets the feeling that his novel gets too serious at places – way too serious that you start differentiating different class of literature in contention i.e., both High & Low. Joyland is basically a mishmash of cliches -- and it’s definitely not a serious literature work like the ones we encounter especially in a class room -- Thankfully, King makes no attempts to hide away from that fact and makes it crystal clear from the beginning itself.
If you’re in the mood of an exciting potboiler it’s unlikely you complain especially when the passages keep you glued to your seats. So we have -- A crime novel, a mystery thriller and a ghost story -- all combined in to one Stephen King package, which is genre foiling yet chilling entertainment from beginning till end. It can be best enjoyed if you’re not taking it too seriously and are in the mood for some easy pleasures a lazy Sunday afternoon provides with. In fact, one of the reviews in NY Times came with a sarcastically funny disclaimer warning – IF YOU ARE A SNOB YOU MIGHT ALSO THINK OF STOP READING RIGHT NOW. I know what he means and why.
Jokes apart, Joyland is fun read.
