Book review: Joyland by Stephen King

Joyland by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephen King is one of the best storytellers that has ever existed. Ever. That's the only way to describe him, the only way to explain how wonderful this book is. I personally prefer his simpler stories, like Carrie, or Misery. Not too much going on, but the characters pop out of the pages and you instantly feel for them, their situation, their surroundings.
Joyland is one of these books. We follow Dev, as he is employed at Joyland in the summer of 1973. From the first few lines I was hooked into the story. Dev is likeable, and the story is told in his voice, which makes him easy to sympathise with.
Along the way we meet a menagerie of interesting characters from Rozzie, the eccentric fortune teller, his friends Erin and Tom, handyman Lane, to Mike, his mother and their Jack Russell. Yet despite their eccentricities, none of them seem out of place. Joyland itself is described vividly, and the essence of the seventies seeps through too.
The main story is more about the murder of several young women, notably Linda Grey at Joyland, over the years and Dev and Erin's work into solving it. It is captivating, as King's work normally is and your breath is held as he peels back each layer, revealing more clues. But unfortunately for me, I guessed who the perpetrator was, which was disappointing, but there's always that pleasant feeling of being right.
The tale of Mike, his mother Annie and their dog Milo runs alongside this one. The characters are portrayed brilliantly and I was hooked on every word spoken. I didn't feel like I was rushing through their parts to get back to the murder either, which I have done is some other books.
So overall, more books like this please Mr King! Stories and characters with heart that let your imagination run wild.

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