I always wanted to read this book because Stephen King is one of my favorite writers and also one of the most skilled in the horror genre. It also marked a stage in my life, my childhood, a time when I was still very impressionable, especially when it came to horror. I grew up watching the It movies, and the scene of the clown emerging from the hole in the floor was unforgettable for me, so I wanted to see what lay beyond that, since novels will always surpass films.

Siempre quise leer este libro porque Stephen King es uno de mis escritores favoritos y además uno de los más hábiles del genero terror. It además marcó una etapa en mi vida, la niñez, la época en que yo aún era muy impresionable, en especial en lo que horror se refería, crecí viendo las películas de It y la escena del payaso saliendo del hueco del piso fue imborrable para mi, así que quise ver que había más allá de eso, pues las novelas siempre superarán los films.

It all begins with a tragic event: the death of Georgie Denbrough. For adults, it's a mysterious death, but the Losers' Club (a gang of marginalized children consisting of Ben, Beverly, Eddie, Richie, Stan, and Mike) investigate the events, concluding that the only one responsible is It (so called because it doesn't have a specific form). However, It's preferred form is Pennywise, a terrifying clown. This malevolent and strange entity attacks every 27 years, so the novel is divided between the 1950s (the gang's childhood) and the 1980s (their adulthood).

One of the things I liked most about this book, aside from Stephen's ability to create an atmosphere of terror that leaps off the page, is its structure. It's not linear at all; in fact, it maintains two timelines (past and present), a complex yet never confusing style. So the reader navigates the depths of the past to return to the present. But why does this happen? Or what is its purpose? I think it's a way of examining how people confront their deepest fears at different stages of their lives: in childhood, we tend to be more impressionable, less intuitive, and therefore more vulnerable; in adulthood, we gain experience and have a mind more or less trained to face challenges. However, there's something we have as children that we don't have as adults, and that's the camaraderie of childhood, that need to always be together to overcome any challenge. In adulthood, we tend to be more detached, more self-sufficient, and that also makes us vulnerable.

But what on earth is It? It's a very ancient entity that inhabits the macroverse. It doesn't have a specific form but takes the shape of whatever frightens you the most, because it feeds on that feeling. It especially attacks children because they are more vulnerable and their fears are more intense. But you know what? This reminds me a lot of a concept that J.K. Rowling would later adopt for her novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and that is that she was very likely inspired by It. I'm referring to Boggarts. In Rowling's magical universe, Boggarts also don't have a defined form of their own, but rather take the form of whatever terrifies others the most. The difference is that Boggarts don't have a preference between children and adults, and they can be defeated with a simple charm: "Riddikulus."

Like all of Stephen King's novels, this one offers much to analyze. For example, we can see the importance of childhood for adult life: the bonds we form with loved ones, the experiences we have, and especially the traumas. It's the age when we acquire the most trauma, but if these aren't recognized and addressed in time, they can manifest in some way in our adult lives and even affect our quality of life—it all depends on the individual. On the other hand, we also find the indifference of the adult characters to what is happening; they dismiss the children's opinions, which empowers the entity to attack more effectively.

Well, it was truly a book I thoroughly enjoyed; old Stephen King never disappoints! I love him! 😊