IT - Part Two

Link to Part One

8:35pm - Home
Chapter 4

This book is not outright scary. Not jumping out at you face-eating clown scary (although that's certainly a part). It's every moment IT might show up scary. It's every bush, every rattle, every footstep might be IT scary.

And that's so much worse.

Let's begin at the beginning - are kids actually as viciously mean as the ones I see in books or movies? I remember my childhood fairly well, but the sheer level of brutality in the three bullies of Derry is stunning to me. Which bring me back to an earlier point - are these people really this awful, or does Derry make them this awful? If we put Henry Bowers in San Francisco, would he be an abusive little shit? Does Derry create monsters or just nurture them?

Why am I reading this book?

I really feel for Ben in this chapter. I myself was a loner nerd throughout - well pretty much until now. But while girl's can be mean, they're rarely physically mean. At least not in the same proportion as boys are. (Yes, there's always one girl everyone knew who was an evil bully, but I'm saying that in general when a girl is offended she throws insults - boys throw fists. Ceterus paribus. In the long run on the average. Grain of salt and all that.)

So reading about poor Ben, loving the library but not even able to make it home without being attacked, having to fight his way into the Barrens - a place we soon discover he has reason to fear even more than he does Henry's knife - was heart-breaking.

That he chooses to hide in the dark - with all the scary things he has seen with his own eyes lurking about - makes me want to give him a hug.

God, I kind of hate everyone in this book right now except for Ben. Yes, even you Stuttering Bill.

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9:19pm - Home
Chapter 5

I take it back Bill. You are precious and awesome and you have all of my love.

When he rides off on his too-big bike to get his friend's medication (even if it's a placebo and what the fuck people?) comes back and instantly makes friends with poor Ben... only to go home to two parents who have forgotten, in their grief that they have two sons. The loss of the one is enough to tear them apart and poor Bill doesn't know how - isn't enough to bring them back together.

My heart, it is breaking.

But can we please stick to monster creepiness and not blood leaking from under the edges of photos creepiness?

Thank you.

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I just went to open the book and start Chapter 6 and had a vision of it leaping forward and eating my face. I'm on page 250 and I'm already hallucinating.

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9:57pm - Home
Chapter 6

I'm confused, and starting to get into genuinely scared territory (not just freaked out a little).

The monster can turn itself into what the kids fear most? Is that what I'm supposed to get out of this? Because none of them were scared of the clown for being a clown - only because the clown ended up having crazy eyes and eating them.

But Eddie is attacked by his dead-brother/creature from the black lagoon and Mike by a giant bird - both of them clearly and immediately terrified by the things. It makes me wonder what makes the creature chose what it appears as.

And Mike's dad is the first parent in the book I genuinely like. Team Mr Hanlon Forver! (That would be a timely reference to put on a shirt.)

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Continue?
IT - Intermission 
IT Part Two (redux)
IT Part Three
IT Part Four
IT Part Five