Joyland review by C J Dee
★★★★★ five out of five stars
The year that Devin Jones was 21 was an interesting one to say the least. His heart was broken by his first love, he got a job at Joyland amusement park, discovered the park’s legacy of a decades old unsolved murder, saved a girl’s life, saved a boy and his mother and let himself be saved.
Stephen King has managed to take the threads of a murder mystery, a coming of age story, a ghost story and a love story and weave them together to produce one deliciously addictive novel. Many people write Stephen King off as purely a horror writer; while I don’t deny he is the master of horror, this book is the latest proof that he can wield many genres with grace and expertise.
Besides making me want to become a carnie, Joyland gives the reader characters who are relatable, every day folk just dealing with what happens to them in the best way they know how. Sometimes the best stories come from taking ordinary people and putting them in extraordinary situations, something at which King excels and Joyland is no different.
I recommend Joyland not just for fans of Stephen King but also for any readers who enjoy mystery, thriller, horror or crime novels.
Page count: 283 [excluding author’s note]
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Titan Books
Rating: 5/5
