#CastleRock #BookReview ‘The Body’ by Stephen King

About the book…

First published as a part of the novella collection,‘Different Seasons’ ‘The Body’ is now available as a stand alone novella, published by Hodder Books, to celebrate the Ultimate Storyteller, Stephen King.

Adapted into the successful, and acclaimed movie, ‘Stand By Me’, directed by Rob Reiner and available in the UK on Amazon Prime, this is a coming of age story unlike any other.

It’s 1960 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Ray Brower, a boy from a nearby town, has disappeared, and twelve-year-old Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body along the railroad tracks. During the course of their journey, Gordie, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio come to terms with death and the harsh truths of growing up in a small factory town that doesn’t offer much in the way of a future.

A timeless exploration of the loneliness and isolation of young adulthood, Stephen King’s The Body is an iconic, unforgettable, coming-of-age story.

Subtitled, ‘Fall From Innocence’, ‘The Body’ is almost 4 stories in one-Gordie LaChance’s life story, the tale of looking for the missing, believed dead, Ray Brower, and interspersed with these, are two of Gordie’s published works, ‘Stud City’ and ‘The Revenge Of Lard Arse Hogan.’

Gordie uses a first person narration, which puts you into his life story and creates intimacy right from the start. He talks about how the friends which you had as a 12 year old were the best you would ever have, the ones you could tell anything to.

It seems as though he holds the reader in the same company as his buddies, Vern, Teddy and Chris, and with that trust comes the responsibility of holding a space for the reader to be an active participant in his tale. I think that is also why he includes Stud City and Lard Arse Hogan to both establish his reliability, but also to show he kept his childhood promise to become a writer.

Stud City is a very early published work, almost earnestly written and highly sexualised, and, as Gordie states, pretty sexist and in need of polishing. It is also influenced by his older brother, Denny, who died whilst on basic training. Since then, in an echo of Bill Denbrough’s parents in It, Gordie’s wander around the house like ghosts,barely aware they have another son who needs them to be responsible for him.

Lard Arse Hogan is the ultimate act of revenge by an overweight, bullied boy, attacked by children and adults alike for his size. It is told as a camp fire story by a 12 year old Gordie who has tired of telling the same old war stories of Le Dio , wants to switch things up a gear. Lard Arse Hogan uses a pie eating contest to maximum effect (I won’t spoil how) and it is emblematic of what each child would do , if they could, to the tormentors of their lives. Chris would stand up to his father and older brother, Vern would stand up to the bullies who pick on him because he has fat and not too bright, Gordie would scream his parents into being conscious, responsible adults. And Teddy? Poor, beaten and abused Teddy would either leave, so he is no longer tarred by his father’s post war psychosis, or push his father to be a proper parent. All their responsible adults, including police, doctors, and teachers, are letting these boys down and so, it is no surprise, that they easily fool them into believing they are sleeping at each other’s houses.

And so, bags packed, off they go, to find and retrieve the body of Ray Brower, the subject of an overheard conversation by Vern’s older brother and his friends. They want to matter , for once, they want to do something big and it isn’t known when they leave, but it is the last time all 4 will be together.

There are several stand out scenes, including cutting through Milo Pressman’s junk yard (guarded by Castle Rock’s second meanest dog, Chopper, who would take poll position after ‘Cujo’), running across the railway bridge being chased by a train, getting covered with leeches, and a plethora of intimate details the likes of which mean so much to small boys.

And then, there is the body. None of them were prepared, or could be prepared for what they have found. It has them challenging their sense of mortality as they come face to face with a boy, their age, who will never enjoy any of the things which these 4 have done, ever again.

I won’t spoil what happens next, for anyone who has not read this, or seen Stand By Me, suffice it to say that this summer , this time, is unique and not to be repeated. Their friendship is such that all 4 of them being in the one adventure leads them to make a stand. Individually they can be bullied, beaten, ignored, but together, they create a force and a truth which needs to be listened to.

It is a moving, incredibly brave tale of 4 boys, told by one of them with the skill of a wonderful writer who creates such vivid images, and conversations that sound so much like the banter that young boys have. Their creative cursing, flawless ‘logic’, lack of sense of danger, all of it leads to the point where Ray becomes the focal point for their rude awakening to their potential to die.

I absolutely love this story, there is so much to enjoy, aside from the fact it is set in Castle Rock, and adds more layers of mythos to this town. It is nostalgic, yet never whimsical, forthright, and truthful , all of which makes for a timeless classic. Superb.

Links to other King works-

Pg 2- Teddy’s Uncle makes an appearance in Skeleton Crew story, ‘Nona’ , as does Vern Tessio, and Ace Merrill

Pg 10-Chamberlain is the town where ‘Carrie’ is mainly set.

Pg 15-Highway Patrol and Dragnet were the favourite tv shows of one Ben Hanscom, who is one of the protagonists in ‘It’

Pg 29 -Gates Falls is the setting for Night Short story, Graveyard Shift

Pg 38-The appearance of a little boy, dressed in a yellow raincoat, playing in puddles, reminds me of Georgie Denbrough from ‘It’

Pg 101- Mention of Jerusalem’s Lot, the titular town of ‘Salem’s Lot’ and Night Shift short stories, Jerusalem’s Lot and One For The Road.

Pg 112-George Gamache, possibly a relative of the unfortunate Homer Gamache, from ‘The Dark Half’, also set in Castle Rock

Pg 151-Vince Desjardins, possible relative of the gym teacher in ‘Carrie‘, Rita Desjardins

About the author…

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His first crime thriller featuring Bill Hodges, ‘Mr Mercedes’, won the Edgar Award for best novel and was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award. Both ‘Mr Mercedes’ and ‘End Of Watch’ received the Goodreads Choice Award for the Best Mystery and Thriller of 2014 and 2016 respectively.

King co-wrote the bestselling novel ‘Sleeping Beauties‘ with his son Owen King, and many of King’s books have been turned into celebrated films and television series including ‘The Shawshank Redemption‘, ‘Gerald’s Game’ and ‘It‘.

King was the recipient of America’s prestigious 2014 National Medal of Arts and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for distinguished contribution to American Letters. In 2007 he also won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He lives with his wife Tabitha King in Maine

Links-https://www.stephenking.com/

Twitter @StephenKing

@HodderBooks