Without a doubt the book/novel that has had the most profound influence on me and changed my life is none other than IT – my favourite novel by my favourite author Stephen King. The king of macabre came out with this novel back in 1986 and the first time I knew about this novel was when I saw parts of the tv mini-series on which it was based back in 1991. The bits that I was more than enough to tickle my fancy and I looked to get a copy of the book to read.

I managed to find one out in the local library that I went to every month and took it. I managed to finish the novel within the following weekend, starting on Saturday morning and ending on Sunday evening, stopping only for food, coffee, a shower or two and as little sleep as possible. This book is so engrossing and mind-consuming that I thought of nothing else for the next week or so. School classes must have happened but I was oblivious to it. Since that first time I must have read the novel atleast 12 times as it is my favourite and been as absorbed in it each time.

IT deals with themes which would eventually become King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma, and the ugliness lurking beneath a façade of traditional small-town values. The idea of 7 young pre-teen kids being stalked & terrorized by an evil & powerful entity and them fighting back is endearing and you will find yourself rooting for our heroes with fists pumping. It is also up to standing up to bullies of the human kind and about friendships and the love that the bond creates. Although mostly tragic and horror-filled, IT also has a lot of funny moments, gross stuff that kids love to laugh at and you will laugh out loud at some of the moments.

In my mind this is the ultimate novel, fat and all consuming and if you start to read this one, make sure that you have a pretty much open couple of days in which to spend yourself immersed in it. Make sure you have some food and drink nearby as you may not want to do anything like cook or go out and meet people until you are done with it.