I am well into the second half of Joyland. Yes, it breaks neatly into two parts, though no outlined as such by King. As Summer ends and Fall sweeps over the theme park, the novel itself darkens with the changing season. With Summer gone, the park attendance drops the summer workers go on to college and new characters enter the story. In many ways this is where the novel really begins. The early chapters set the scene tone and backdrop for what will happen in later chapters.
By the way, King does a lot of highlighting and hinting throughout the beginning of the book. He likes to tease readers. I know this gets under some peoples skin, but I really like it! He likes to say things like, "I asked her to do me a favor, and she said she would." Of course, this leaves the reader in the dark as to what the favor is! It is King's gentle nudging to stay with him, and a reminder that ultimately he's in charge of the flow of information.
At the second half of the book, characters who were just in the shadows step forward as the primary cast trickles back into the darkness. The focus is now on a crippled boy who is dying. He wants to visit Joyland. The boys beautiful mother is bitter at life, the only thing bringing her any kind of joy is her ailing son. Her father is a religious zealot -- a hell fire and brimstone preacher.
At the real center -- I think -- of this novel is the mystery of Linda Gray. Is this a romance novel? Is Dev falling in love with an older woman? Is this a coming of age tale? I'm actually not sure! What I can say is that the book rightly bears the logo of Hard Case Crime. It is dark -- but not unbearably so. I like the fall season and the heavier tone the book takes. I like the new characters, and I really like the deepening mystery.
Some thoughts after the first 49-51 or so pages:
ReplyDeleteI can see why Duchateu says it's reminiscent of Green Mile or The Body. It carries the same regional nostalgia of the toehr two stories, and is told in a much more fresh pace similar to those other works as opposed to more recent works like Duma Key.
That said, I disagree with the first half being light and part two being dark. There's already a darkness over the whole affair in the best King tradition.
In fact, though I'm nowhere near the end, just listening to some of the narrator's musings makes me wonder if we have another Spring Heeled Jack ending on ours hands (no spoilers, please, I want to find out for myself!).
ChrisC
Well, I didn't say it's not dark at the beginning. I was saying the story gets darker. There is a lot of shadowing.
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