Later
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Titan
Date of Publication: March 2, 2021
Pages:272
Summer books or "beach reads" are supposed to be brief, entertaining, and not too taxing on the brain. This book fits these criterion perfectly. This is the story of Jamie Conklin, a young boy who can see dead people. It is different from the 1999 movie The Sixth Sense in that the boy can communicate with the dead and his ability dissipates the longer the person is dead. Initially this only sets up awkward situations for Jamie and his single mom. As the story progresses, his gift becomes known by his mother's girlfriend, a New York city detective. She uses Jamie and his gift to further her career and places the boy and his mom in increasingly compromised situations.
The story is told by an adult Jamie and moves right along. One underlying subplot is Jamie's desire to know who his father is/was. His mother refuses to discuss it and there are no photos, letters, or other clues to his identity. This issue is neatly resolved at the end of the book with a surprise twist which I did not anticipate. The characters are incredibly well developed (as is typical for Mr. King) and even the minor characters pop to life in brief appearances. Jamie's elderly neighbor is a wonderful example of this.
As with other Stephen King stories and novels, this stands as an allegory for facing your fears and accepting yourself for who you are, even if that means becoming comfortable with your ability to see dead people. Maybe I sold this brief novel a bit short in my opening sentence. It is a quick read and is very entertaining. It does, however, make you think a bit, especially about confronting one's fears. I enjoyed this, recommend it, and not necessarily just for the beach!
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