IT - Stephen King

“𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆!”

Goodreads rating - 4.25/5 
My rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5  

Genre - Horror fiction, Dark fantasy, Coming of age story 

Set in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, the novel intertwines the lives of a group of friends, known as the Losers' Club, with a malevolent and shape-shifting entity that awakens every 27 years to feed on the town's children.

The story is divided into two interwoven narratives:

1950s Childhood: The novel begins in the 1950s, when a group of seven children, who eventually call themselves the Losers' Club, come together due to shared experiences of being bullied and ostracized. The main characters are Bill Denbrough, Beverly Marsh, Ben Hanscom, Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier, and Stan Uris. They form a strong bond and face various personal challenges while growing up in Derry.

1980s Adulthood: The narrative alternates with the characters' adult lives in the 1980s, as they each receive a disturbing phone call from Mike Hanlon, urging them to return to Derry. They had made a blood oath as children to return if the evil in the town resurfaced. As adults, they have scattered across the country and have mostly forgotten the horrors of their childhood. This is a journey of rediscovery, facing past traumas, and fulfilling their promise to confront the entity they had battled as children.

The central antagonist of the novel is a malevolent shape-shifting entity that feeds on the fears of the children in Derry. This entity often takes the form of a clown named Pennywise, also known as "IT." IT awakens every 27 years to feast on the children of the town, causing a cycle of disappearances and terrors. Throughout the novel, IT manifests as various monsters and phobias, preying on the deepest fears of its victims.

As the Losers' Club reunites, they must confront their own fears and traumas, both from their childhood and their adult lives. They gradually piece together the history of Derry and the recurring tragedies that have plagued the town for centuries. Their journey leads them to the sewers beneath Derry, where they face IT in its true, ancient form and confront the source of its power.

The novel explores themes of childhood innocence, the power of friendship, the impact of trauma, and the cyclical nature of evil. Through their collective strength and the unity of the Losers' Club, the characters strive to overcome their fears and put an end to the cycle of horror that has haunted Derry for generations.