This timeless, coming-of-age novella was the basis of a very faithful film adaptation, which was one of the best movies of all time, in my opinion. It tells the story of four twelve-year-olds who go on a quest to find The Body, that of Ray Brower, a missing boy their age from a neighboring town who disappeared after going to pick blueberries. The Four Friends are from a no-name factory town, no different than countless others across the US, where opportunities are few and poverty is an ever-present fact of life.
Most will be familiar with this story from the incredible movie "Stand by Me," which features an all-star cast, although many of the actors were virtual unknowns when it was released in 1986. It features Wil Wheaton as Gordie LaChance, Corey Feldman as Teddy DuChamp, Jerry O'Connell as Vern Tessio, Kiefer Sutherland as Ace Merrill, the leader of the hood gang, and the late River Phoenix as Chris Chambers.
This was the movie which launched the latter's career into super-stardom, and rightly so, although his newfound fame clearly contributed to his undoing. Corey Feldman also turns in a stellar and convincing performance as a physically and psychologically damaged abuse victim, which is all the more poignant considering his own life story.
The only thing I didn't like about this classic novel is the title. It's just not substantive enough for a book of this caliber. Stephen King isn't one of my favorite authors, but he hit it out of the park with this short story, first published in 1982. It's a real departure from King's standard fare, but it hits home, and hard, for those who grew up in this kind of town in a way that a fictional horror novel never could.
Like some of his other best work, including "The Shawshank Redemption" (another novella, written in 1982) and "The Green Mile," this excellent but heartbreaking story explores the dark side of human nature and the human condition. Set in the transitional year of 1960, it notes in no uncertain terms that change is coming: factories are closing, jobs are being lost, war is yet again looming on the horizon, and life in the highly-idealized small town community has turned sour. Economic strife and social change has pitted neighbor against neighbor, further fracturing the social fabric of this seemingly idyllic community. As such, King accurately portrays the pervasive caste system which is indeed often inescapable for those born on the proverbial wrong side of the tracks.
The rigid social hierarchy characteristic of small town life is on full display. There are the Good Families, such as Gordie LaChance's: not wealthy, but comfortable, he is the son of an older retired couple, but in most respects is an all-American kid who lives in a middle-class neighborhood. Not all is what it seems, however. Tragedy has recently beset his family: Gordie's much-older brother was killed a few months prior in a jeep accident after joining the army. He now describes himself as The Invisible Boy, largely ignored by his devastated parents after his brother's sudden death.
And then, there are the Lower Castes, those unfortunates stuck in a social and economic glue trap few ever escape. Chris Chambers, Gordie's best friend, is decidedly from the wrong side of the tracks. His family is among the lowest of the low. His father is an abusive drunk who goes on frequent benders, leaving Chris's elder brother "Eyeball" Chambers, a member of the local hood gang, in charge of him and his three younger siblings, the youngest of which is two. His mother is no better, as she frequently abandons her five children to fend for themselves while she flees to other relatives when her husband goes on his latest drunk.
Chris's future is all but assured, especially since he's been in some trouble himself, at home and in the community. As a member of the notorious Chambers clan, he is essentially written off as another statistic by everyone in town, despite his intelligence, wisdom and maturity far beyond his years.
Gordie's other two friends are Teddy DuChamp, the son of a war hero who stormed the beach at Normandy, but who returned home with a severe case of combat PTSD, and is now psychotic. In fact, he nearly killed Teddy by burning his ears off when he was a young child. Teddy's father was committed to a mental hospital, so Teddy and his mother try to make out the best they can, taking boarders into their home to make ends meet. Teddy also has very poor eyesight, so his dream of escaping his fate by enlisting in the army is unrealistic at best.
Vern Tessio is also from the lower class, with multiple siblings, one of whom also runs with the local hood gang. Even Gordie's father looks down on him, calling him a "feeb" (feeble-minded) and hates the fact that his son is seen in the company of kids he believes are below his social station. Vern's none too bright, and with his prospects few other than menial factory work, his future looks just as bleak as Chris and Teddy's.
Chris is even aware of this fact, that Gordie may be compromising his own social capital by associating with people below his caste, warning Gordie that: "your friends drag you down... they're like drowning guys that are holding onto your legs. You can't save them. You can only drown with them." Gordie remains loyal, however, and, in a sense, does contribute to Chris, arguably the friend facing the worst fate, saving himself.
As above: the movie is indeed a very faithful adaptation, to the degree that viewers will recognize much of the dialogue from the novel. Some things are different, however, but nothing really detracts: the movie takes place in Castle Rock, Oregon, not Maine, Stephen King's preferred venue, but both are appropriately rural and remote.
The movie takes place a year earlier than the book, as the director seemingly chose to feature the transitional year of 1959 to mirror the kids' last year of childhood before becoming teenagers and entering high school. The movie therefore draws on conceptions of the 50s as opposed to the 60s, when things were considered to be more "wholesome" then the succeeding decade, which was a stark departure from the conservative 50s in which the story is set.
Perhaps the greatest difference is the fate of the characters. The movie reveals that Gordie's other two friends remained in Castle Rock, where they settled down to raise families. Vern has four children and works as a forklift operator, while Teddy, after failing to qualify for the army, seems to struggle to keep steady employment and had served time in jail. Chris's fate is the same, but in the movie he is much older. He did indeed become a lawyer, and was not just a student at the time of his death, but he met his fate in the same way.
However, the book also reveals that both Vern and Teddy died in their 20s, Vern in a house fire and Teddy in a car accident. This is perhaps foreshadowed by the "goocher" the boys draw in the coin toss at the junkyard, and then with Gordie being the only one to flip heads in the second toss (he goes to get the groceries, but also escapes an untimely death and becomes a famous novelist).
This is my first time reading this book, and it's one of King's best that I've read of his work so far. Highly recommended: read the book first and then see the outstanding movie, if you haven't read or seen either.
Most will be familiar with this story from the incredible movie "Stand by Me," which features an all-star cast, although many of the actors were virtual unknowns when it was released in 1986. It features Wil Wheaton as Gordie LaChance, Corey Feldman as Teddy DuChamp, Jerry O'Connell as Vern Tessio, Kiefer Sutherland as Ace Merrill, the leader of the hood gang, and the late River Phoenix as Chris Chambers.
This was the movie which launched the latter's career into super-stardom, and rightly so, although his newfound fame clearly contributed to his undoing. Corey Feldman also turns in a stellar and convincing performance as a physically and psychologically damaged abuse victim, which is all the more poignant considering his own life story.
The only thing I didn't like about this classic novel is the title. It's just not substantive enough for a book of this caliber. Stephen King isn't one of my favorite authors, but he hit it out of the park with this short story, first published in 1982. It's a real departure from King's standard fare, but it hits home, and hard, for those who grew up in this kind of town in a way that a fictional horror novel never could.
Like some of his other best work, including "The Shawshank Redemption" (another novella, written in 1982) and "The Green Mile," this excellent but heartbreaking story explores the dark side of human nature and the human condition. Set in the transitional year of 1960, it notes in no uncertain terms that change is coming: factories are closing, jobs are being lost, war is yet again looming on the horizon, and life in the highly-idealized small town community has turned sour. Economic strife and social change has pitted neighbor against neighbor, further fracturing the social fabric of this seemingly idyllic community. As such, King accurately portrays the pervasive caste system which is indeed often inescapable for those born on the proverbial wrong side of the tracks.
The rigid social hierarchy characteristic of small town life is on full display. There are the Good Families, such as Gordie LaChance's: not wealthy, but comfortable, he is the son of an older retired couple, but in most respects is an all-American kid who lives in a middle-class neighborhood. Not all is what it seems, however. Tragedy has recently beset his family: Gordie's much-older brother was killed a few months prior in a jeep accident after joining the army. He now describes himself as The Invisible Boy, largely ignored by his devastated parents after his brother's sudden death.
And then, there are the Lower Castes, those unfortunates stuck in a social and economic glue trap few ever escape. Chris Chambers, Gordie's best friend, is decidedly from the wrong side of the tracks. His family is among the lowest of the low. His father is an abusive drunk who goes on frequent benders, leaving Chris's elder brother "Eyeball" Chambers, a member of the local hood gang, in charge of him and his three younger siblings, the youngest of which is two. His mother is no better, as she frequently abandons her five children to fend for themselves while she flees to other relatives when her husband goes on his latest drunk.
Chris's future is all but assured, especially since he's been in some trouble himself, at home and in the community. As a member of the notorious Chambers clan, he is essentially written off as another statistic by everyone in town, despite his intelligence, wisdom and maturity far beyond his years.
Gordie's other two friends are Teddy DuChamp, the son of a war hero who stormed the beach at Normandy, but who returned home with a severe case of combat PTSD, and is now psychotic. In fact, he nearly killed Teddy by burning his ears off when he was a young child. Teddy's father was committed to a mental hospital, so Teddy and his mother try to make out the best they can, taking boarders into their home to make ends meet. Teddy also has very poor eyesight, so his dream of escaping his fate by enlisting in the army is unrealistic at best.
Vern Tessio is also from the lower class, with multiple siblings, one of whom also runs with the local hood gang. Even Gordie's father looks down on him, calling him a "feeb" (feeble-minded) and hates the fact that his son is seen in the company of kids he believes are below his social station. Vern's none too bright, and with his prospects few other than menial factory work, his future looks just as bleak as Chris and Teddy's.
Chris is even aware of this fact, that Gordie may be compromising his own social capital by associating with people below his caste, warning Gordie that: "your friends drag you down... they're like drowning guys that are holding onto your legs. You can't save them. You can only drown with them." Gordie remains loyal, however, and, in a sense, does contribute to Chris, arguably the friend facing the worst fate, saving himself.
As above: the movie is indeed a very faithful adaptation, to the degree that viewers will recognize much of the dialogue from the novel. Some things are different, however, but nothing really detracts: the movie takes place in Castle Rock, Oregon, not Maine, Stephen King's preferred venue, but both are appropriately rural and remote.
The movie takes place a year earlier than the book, as the director seemingly chose to feature the transitional year of 1959 to mirror the kids' last year of childhood before becoming teenagers and entering high school. The movie therefore draws on conceptions of the 50s as opposed to the 60s, when things were considered to be more "wholesome" then the succeeding decade, which was a stark departure from the conservative 50s in which the story is set.
Perhaps the greatest difference is the fate of the characters. The movie reveals that Gordie's other two friends remained in Castle Rock, where they settled down to raise families. Vern has four children and works as a forklift operator, while Teddy, after failing to qualify for the army, seems to struggle to keep steady employment and had served time in jail. Chris's fate is the same, but in the movie he is much older. He did indeed become a lawyer, and was not just a student at the time of his death, but he met his fate in the same way.
However, the book also reveals that both Vern and Teddy died in their 20s, Vern in a house fire and Teddy in a car accident. This is perhaps foreshadowed by the "goocher" the boys draw in the coin toss at the junkyard, and then with Gordie being the only one to flip heads in the second toss (he goes to get the groceries, but also escapes an untimely death and becomes a famous novelist).
This is my first time reading this book, and it's one of King's best that I've read of his work so far. Highly recommended: read the book first and then see the outstanding movie, if you haven't read or seen either.
