Book Review – Later – Stephen King

Facts:

Book: Later
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Mystery/Crime and Horror
Year of Release: 2021
Read 248-page paperback edition in March 2021

Book Description:

Jamie Conklin and his single mother who runs a publishing company are living a comfortable life in a New York City apartment, when the world comes crashing down in the financial crisis of 2008-09. Suddenly his mom is struggling to pay the bills and keep the business afloat.

Meanwhile, Jamie continues to go to school and live his best life, but he is very different from other kids. He can see dead people walking around. He tries to keep this a secret, at his mom’s insistence, but he must use his talent for good when a NYPD detective finds out about his skills, and brings him into an investigation to try and save people from an explosion.

As Jamie gets further wrapped into this world, he realizes he must be very cautious, both from the threats of the living, and the threats of the dead.

Book Review:

As with many Stephen King novels, this was a very fast read, with the intense plot beckoning readers to keep turning the pages well into the night. The shorter length of the novel allows one to finish it quite quickly, and King’s ability to bring mystery, crime, and horror genres together is truly successful here.

In addition to a fast moving plot, King has done a nice job of describing the characters and allowing us to learn more about them, particularly the three main characters of the novel. As with many novels, King chooses to have his main character be a child/teenager, and Jamie Conklin is well-described and makes for an enjoyable narrator. He sometimes speaks directly to the readers, as it is clear he is writing/narrating sometime after the events of the novel. The way King has structured this works well, and even though we know Jamie must have survived what he is facing, we don’t know what damage or struggle he will undergo, so the tension is kept high.

The main character of Jamie feels like a very mature kid/teen, perhaps because he matured quickly when seeing dead people, perhaps because his mom treats him professionally. Either way, it is believable given his environment. He is a likeable character.

At times, King’s humour is a little awkward and pulls us out of the narrative. For example, the somewhat jarring comment that a woman at a front desk moved forward and her large breasts moved the paperwork in front of her. Did that need to be there? However, much of the humour that King uses does work well, and adds some lightness to the intense plot which circles around crime and supernatural fear. In fact, many of Jamie’s comments to himself when dealing with people around him are amusing and enjoyable.

Overall, this is a fun, propulsive read, with an enjoyable protagonist that you are rooting for. It is a great addition to Stephen King’s massive collection.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars