When it comes to writing escapist fiction, no one does it better than stephen king according to marian devers.
the woman monee, one of more than 3,300 people who gathered Friday night at north central college in naperville to see the author in person, said she became a devoted fan after reading his first novel of king in 1975.
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“I own every one of his books and have reread many of them multiple times. I’ve been a fan of his ever since he wrote, ‘salem’s lot,'” devers said. “He writes horror in a way as if he could happen to anyone in everyday life.”
king was joined in the appearance by his son owen, with whom he co-wrote his latest novel, “sleeping beauties,” which explores a world in which all women have fallen asleep and society is inhabited solely by men.
becky anderson, co-owner of anderson’s bookstore in naperville, said the event was one of the biggest they’ve ever held.
“this is right up there with the bernie sanders event we had in the same place last fall, and i think there’s no question that part of the appeal is not just this book, but all the novels stephen king has written , as well as the current movie, ‘it,’ which is breaking box office records around the world for horror movies,” Anderson said. “Regardless of how anyone feels about King’s genre, he is an incredible storyteller and one of the greatest writers of our time.”
Getting King to include his store on his 10-city book tour was a huge success, he said.
“We were visiting his publisher, Simon & Schuster, last spring in New York, and I casually mentioned Stephen coming over as something that had always been on my wish list,” said Anderson. “I think that despite the world we live in today, his books provide escapism. There is good and evil in them, and many of his characters show great courage. But more importantly, they generate empathy, which is something we all need “. more than.”
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The book also features a naperville tie: it’s dedicated to sandra bland, the naperville-aurora woman who was found hanged in a texas prison cell in 2015 after being arrested by a state trooper who held her in a traffic stop.
The authors’ appearance included reading excerpts from the book, asking each other questions, and responding to audience queries that had been submitted online.
owen king said their collaboration consisted of each writing 25 to 30 pages. he challenged his father by leaving blanks on his portion and suggesting scenes his father needed to complete, he said.
“We didn’t want the book to come off as, ‘owen wrote this part, and stephen wrote another,’ and when the book was finished, it read like a third person wrote it,” said king. “The end result was a good combination.”
Both authors professed their love for the Boston Red Sox, with Owen noting that his father can’t seem to go anywhere in public without someone acknowledging him and suggesting a topic for his next book.
stephen king was hard to hear at times, and he seemed somewhat frail, prompting some audience members to leave before the event ended. When his son asked the 70-year-old King what was different or changed in his approach to writing compared to when he started, the elderly King spoke about courage.
“As you get older, you need to keep your courage and write things that are close to your mind,” he said. “I guess the bills are paid and my family is in charge, so I shouldn’t have to worry about whether someone likes something or not. You just have to be brave.”
devers said he hated film interpretations of king’s work, but others, like aurora’s nikole clow, said he found some of the movies, like “it,” to have been done well.
“I’ve seen the movie three times and while I agree that sometimes it’s better to keep the books and movies separate, sometimes there are some special scenes that I really like,” clow said.
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He also likes that the younger generations adopt king. “I have a cousin who is only 13 years old and when I saw her two weeks ago, she showed me every single one of her books lined up on the shelves in her bedroom,” she said.
kellie fletcher, a 22-year-old north central college student who lives in melbourne, australia, said “firestarter” is still her favorite book. Like Clow’s cousin, her father has “a bookshelf dedicated to Stephen King,” she said.
“I’m a huge horror fan and I think your books are well written,” said fletcher. “When my dad suggested that he read one of King’s books, I thought, well, I’ll give it a try.”
kelly thomas, 31, from chicago, was reading a worn copy of king’s “skeleton crew” before the event. he has carried it in his bag for years, he said.
“I got this book about eight years ago from my aunt, and every time I’m sitting around waiting for something, I pull it out,” Thomas said. “I started reading her books when I was nine or ten years old.”
During the question and answer period, Stephen King was asked about “Banned Book Week,” which celebrates the freedom to read and opposes censorship. king said “no book should ever be banned.”
“If a child is old enough to read a book, they should read it,” King said.
david sharos is a freelance reporter for the naperville sun.
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