The Body by Stephen King

"I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, did you?"

I have been a Stephen King fan for a very long time, but had not read this one. I remember seeing Stand by Me when I was around 12-13(I think), the same age as the kids in the story. I instantly loved the story.  I (was) also a huge Wil Wheaton fan, as I was also a Star Trek fan, lol.

The story takes place in the small fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine, in 1960 and focuses on 4 friends. Gordie Lachance, who parents ignore him after the death of his older brother. Teddy Duchamp, who was physically mutilated by his father, yet he still idolizes his for storming the beaches of Normandy. Chris Chambers, who is severely abused by his father and brother and is neglected by his mother. And last but not least, Vern Tessio, a sort of childish, simpleton who is deathly afraid of his older brother. 

Its early September 1960, a few days before Labor Day when Vern is hunting for a jar of pennies he buried under his front porch when he overhears his brother talking with a friend about how they saw a body of a young 13 yr old that had gone missing a few days before. They mention he's out on Back Harlow Road. Vern runs off to their treehouse to see if the other boys want to take an overnight camping trip to see the body of the boy, Ray Brower.

They all tell their parents they'll be camping in Verns backyard. They set off on a an adventure that will test them, emotionally and physically. The trip will take them from the protection of childhood and lead them into a world where things will change for each other them, drastically. Throughout the trip we see the relationships between the boys change. Chris and Gordie grow closer and in a way so do Vern and Teddy. In the end, as with most friendships, they eventually split up. 

I remember being this age, it doesn't seem that long ago, yet it was. I had a great group of friends around this age. Then I moved to another state and my life changed. I lost those friends for a time, a time before social media, when we reconnected, so much had changed about each of us, the closeness was gone. We are nothing more than acquaintances now. But I look upon those times with fondness. 

Much like the movie, the narration is what makes this book really good. This is definitely not your typical King story. Its not really a horror story, its not scary unless you count seeing a dead body, its more of a coming of age story. The monsters in this case are not hiding under your bed or in your closet, instead they are your parents, your brother or the local corner store owner.

I highly recommend this read. It was a quick one, I read it in a few hours. The movie is also worth watching.