Heather’s Comments (group member since Aug 12, 2021)

Heather’s comments from the "It" Book Club! group.

Sarah, this is actually a really good metaphor. I had never quite thought of Derry and IT that way, but I see what you mean. The flower is a unique way to represent the the hate/pollen that is carried by It and Derry, but also something that feeds on it.

I can't see the original questions for this week but I think we were supposed to discuss the general malaise around Derry. From my first read of the book it seemed to be that the bad things in Derry fed off of death, destruction, racism, murder, hate, etc.... but also that there are lots of little evils that benefit from one another as well. This is sort of similar to your flower metaphor because we know that whatever is "feeding on Derry" needs the fear and negativity to continue to live.

Ronnie wrote: "Hey y’all! Happy Saturday! 🌞

How are we all doing? Did we all enjoy the first week of reading? We’ve got some topics down below that we’ve compiled for chapters 1 and 2:

1.) What do y’all think ..."

1-Until this question I hadn't given much thought to the significance of Mrs. Denbrough's playing of Fur Elise. I'm not sure if I made this up but it seemed like she was maybe a piano teacher or did lessons to some degree. I think Fur Elise is well known for being in early piano lessons, but perhaps she was playing just because she enjoyed it? It's inferred from the movie (and maybe the book too) that after Georgie dies, she never plays again.

2-King is obviously a master storyteller and he knew what he was doing when he wrote the order of the book. It seems he is known for foreshadowing some terrible event...building up the psychological fear and dread. I think the way the story jumps around in the beginning is used mostly to build of the fear of the book, to let the reader's dread build. It also shows how much dark and evil is in Derry.

3- The basement scene is pretty much all of us in our youth. I grew up in a huge, old farm house in Iowa. I was the youngest by far and by the time I was 12, most of my siblings were all out of the house. I was a "latch key kid" and spent a few hours after school, home alone before my parents came home. I often had to go in the basement to tend to the coal room (it's definitely as creepy as it sounds) or do the laundry, or tend to the cat food and litter box. Even though I could flip on a light at the top of the stairs and I had been down there a 100 times where nothing happened, as a kid, all you can think about is the POSSIBILITY of something being down there. And if you didn't run up the stairs as fast as you could, were you even a kid? lol

4- Since this is re-read number ? for me, I'll just mention the good ol' Chambray shirt that King of course has to mention in every book :)

I had a decent week, super hot and humid here in Wisconsin and so many mosquito's it could literally become the topic of a new King short story. Hoping for cooler weather soon so I can walk my dog. Hope the rest of you are staying cool and safe!

Ronnie wrote: "Howdy guys! I’ve made it home and wanted to jot down some of my late night thoughts on Week 1!

I wonder if the three boys who enacted the hate crime on Adrian Mellon are a mirror to the Bowers gan..."

Wow, these are some really good ideas that I hadn't ever put together on previous reads. I think you are right, there are some similarities between the groups that seem to connect them in other ways.

I think both Eddie and Richie are on the queer spectrum, if you will. lol One of the reason's I love Richie so much is his love for Eddie seems so innocent and child like-still stuck at that young age, but also real.

1.) It's so hard to pick a favorite Loser for me, but that's part of why I love the book so much. I (and I'm sure so many of us) mostly just wanted to be in the Loser's club, because it seemed so much better to be with a group of best friends that were united against the school bullies and Pennywise than to be dealing with real life bullying.
I can definitely identify with each on of The Loser's in one way or another, but Richie "Trashmouth" Tozier is my spirit animal. Like Richie, I was often the joker of my group and family, but that didn't always make me enjoyable to be around. Teachers or friend's parents weren't always as appreciative of my humor as I would have liked. I also think deep down Richie is sweet and emotional. I think humor is his preferred way of dealing with emotions and though its often deemed as inappropriate, he's so damned funny.

3.) I honestly just love S.K. and the whole S.K. universe. I got started a little late in life with reading horror but once I read my first King book (The Shining) I was hooked. I love the way so many of the books have different easter eggs of other books, and "It" is no different. I've read the book a few times and listed to the audiobook which is quite good, as well as the movies- each time getting something new out of it. For anyone who's into the S.K. universe, re-reading "IT, The Stand, The Shining, etc, is a must to catch all the different connections.

4.) You guys, I'm SO stoked to be in this book club with ya'll! I'm more excited than Pennywise on the night before a carnival in Derry!