Stephen King has written an impressive number of books. I’ve only read a handful of them, and they all tend to be pretty dark and pretty weird. This is by far the tamest one that I’ve read.
Devin Jones is young and in love. He met the girl of his dreams while away at college, and he pictures a life together. The Dear John letter he receives while working his summer job tells him that she doesn’t quite feel the same way.
Joyland. An amusement park, and Devin’s summer job. He found the job via an ad, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something new. Nursing his heartbreak, Devin delves in deep, learning all of the lingo and skills needed to fit in at Joyland. He finds out the hard way what “wearing the fur” is– dressing up as the park’s mascot, Howie the Dog, in 90+ degree weather. He makes some friends for life, learns to operate the various rides, and learns the story of the ghost that haunts the funhouse.
Four years ago, a woman was murdered in the funhouse, while riding it with her boyfriend. Her body was found, but the killer never was. Members of the Joyland crew claim to have seen her ghost in the ride after dark. Devin is intrigued by the unsolved case, and it connects to him in ways he didn’t expect.
This book didn’t feel very Stephen King-like, but it was good. It had a murder and a ghost, but it also had romance and heart break, and a few great friendship moments. It was as much a coming-of-age story as it was a murder mystery. If SK has more books in this vein, I’ll probably be reading more of his work soon.
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