This is another double whammy chapter: We see adult Bev reflecting on her encounter with it, her budding sexuality, her father issues, which , weirdly, gives us a lead-in for Stan. Stan, as you will remember, is dead as an adult, and cannot provide context for his childhood memories. King makes it seem like a natural transition, and it works wonderfully.
Bev's encounter is basically identical to the mini series, with the blood and voices from the drain, followed by a slap from her father.
Afterwards we see a lot more of Bev's home life, including interactions with her beat-happy father, and her tired, but concerned mother. Her mother asks if her father ever touches Bev, much to Bev's confusion.
Despite being a girl of the same age when I read IT the first time, I don't recall any special connection or feelings when it came to Bev's parts. Maybe it's because my father wasn't a hitter, or I didn't care about boys or my body changing.
I find Stan's reflection on his now-admitted encounter with IT. It's a little like the miniseries, as Stan is bird-watching when IT comes after him. Not as a mummy (that was cribbed from Book Ben) but as several dead boys drowned in a giant town water cistern near the birdwatching site. Stan manages to escape by reciting the names of the birds: his own version of the Lord's Prayer. Stan is Jewish, but not very interested or knowledgeable about it.
Stan's fatal flaw comes into play here: he finds the dead boys offensive to his sense of order and reason, so much so that it has shaken him to his core. It's a Lovecraft-scale issue, and at 11, Stan can't understand or articulate it. King sums it up as the cracks in reality may lead to another universe: "In this universe there might grow roses which sing." My fellow dark-tower readers will recognize that as a thing that does exist, whether Stan wants it to or not.
It's child-Stan's first real stance on the issue of reality verses IT, and what will eventually lead to his death. Fittingly, the section ends going back to Bev, who tries to measure the drains, pushing back against IT's influence. Bev is a fighter. Stan is not.
I'm over 400 pages in, and we've got another 600 or so to go. Hooray!
Bev's encounter is basically identical to the mini series, with the blood and voices from the drain, followed by a slap from her father.
SPOILERS
Afterwards we see a lot more of Bev's home life, including interactions with her beat-happy father, and her tired, but concerned mother. Her mother asks if her father ever touches Bev, much to Bev's confusion.
Despite being a girl of the same age when I read IT the first time, I don't recall any special connection or feelings when it came to Bev's parts. Maybe it's because my father wasn't a hitter, or I didn't care about boys or my body changing.
I find Stan's reflection on his now-admitted encounter with IT. It's a little like the miniseries, as Stan is bird-watching when IT comes after him. Not as a mummy (that was cribbed from Book Ben) but as several dead boys drowned in a giant town water cistern near the birdwatching site. Stan manages to escape by reciting the names of the birds: his own version of the Lord's Prayer. Stan is Jewish, but not very interested or knowledgeable about it.
Stan's fatal flaw comes into play here: he finds the dead boys offensive to his sense of order and reason, so much so that it has shaken him to his core. It's a Lovecraft-scale issue, and at 11, Stan can't understand or articulate it. King sums it up as the cracks in reality may lead to another universe: "In this universe there might grow roses which sing." My fellow dark-tower readers will recognize that as a thing that does exist, whether Stan wants it to or not.
It's child-Stan's first real stance on the issue of reality verses IT, and what will eventually lead to his death. Fittingly, the section ends going back to Bev, who tries to measure the drains, pushing back against IT's influence. Bev is a fighter. Stan is not.
SAFE
I'm over 400 pages in, and we've got another 600 or so to go. Hooray!
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