“I had a car, but on most days in that fall of 1973 I walked to Joyland from Mrs. Shoplaw’s Beachside Accommodations in the town of Heaven’s Bay …. That fall was the most beautiful of my life. Even forty years later I can say that. And I was never so unhappy, I can say that too” – Joyland
The bestselling and very talented Stephen King is internationally known for his horror novels. But he also writes in other genres, and Joyland (2013) could be defined as a supernatural/coming-of-age story. At a little over 200 pages, it’s not a very long book. And if you like Ray Bradbury — which I do — Joyland is a novel you might want to check out.
The narrator of Joyland is Devin Jones, who is looking back to 1973 when he was 21 and attending college in New England. Devin applies for a summer job at Joyland, an amusement park in North Carolina. He needs money for his fall tuition and distance to recover from his breakup with his girlfriend Wendy. It will be a life-changing summer and fall for Devin.
He becomes friends with Tom Kennedy and Erin Cook, also working at Joyland for the summer. Devin gets to know Lane Hardy, who manages Joyland, Madam Fortuna, who tells fortunes, and Eddie Parks, the old-timer and ride operator. He befriends Annie Ross and Mike, her young, seriously ill son. All of these characters are people just trying to survive in a world that, in many cases, has given them a bad break.
And there is the mystery. A young woman named Linda Gray was murdered a year ago near the haunted fun house. The killer got away, but Linda’s spirit continues to haunt Joyland, and the staff are on edge.
Stephen King can be intimidating. Many of his books clock in at 700 pages. But last year I decided to give The Shining a try, and I absolutely loved the book. And Joyland reinforces what a good job King does in creating characters we can invest in. The seaside amusement park setting of Heaven’s Bay and the people who live and work there are well drawn.
One note: the mystery of who killed Linda Gray takes a backseat to the coming-of-age story. But if that doesn’t bother you and if you are in the mood for a memorable, character-driven novel, then Joyland is worth a read.
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