Jan 2: NOS4A2

This book was insane. Started Monday evening, finished Tuesday evening. I read NOS4A2 on my phone which made it about 900 pages long (it’s around 700 normally). Joe Hill is kind of the crown prince of horror lit, being Stephen King’s son, but—dare I say—he’s so much better. (This is my first Joe Hill book but I’m pretty sure I can stand on that statement)

I read The Shining last summer, and while the scary parts were really good, a lot of the buildup felt like it dragged. This did not happen with NOS4A2. Seriously y’all, this is a long book. But there wasn’t really ever a point where I was wishing things would hurry up.

NOS4A2 mostly centers on Victoria McQueen across 20+ years of her life. As a kid, Vic discovers a portal of sorts that always brings her to find lost items. Charlie Talent Manx III has a portal of his own, tied to a 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith, which he uses to bring children to Christmasland. As the name of the book suggests, Manx is a sort of vampiric figure, though not in the typical bite-your-neck, drink-your-blood style.

This book was scary. It’s pretty gory. It’s also strangely heartwarming. If you don’t like reading about kids in horror, SKIP THIS ONE. I’m not kidding. There’s also some drug abuse and mental health issues portrayed. Vic McQueen is a fascinating character, and she goes through a lot over the course of this novel.

It’s hard to say more about NOS4A2 without running into spoilers, and I try to avoid those for books I liked. It’s also hard to put my thoughts into words. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlie Manx shows up in a nightmare sometime soon, and that might be the best way I can express how scary-good this novel was.

Where I read: Libby

Date finished: Jan 2, 2023

Rating: 5/5 stars