#40 – Later

Plot

The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability that his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine – as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.

Review

We’ve all played the Superpower game, where you get to pick between being invincible, being able to fly or possessing super speed. What we don’t consider when playing that game – especially as children – are the unintended consequences of that power. What if that special ability was more curse than blessing? This is the conundrum King tackles in Later.

It’d be easy – and incredibly lazy – to make comparisons between Later and The Sixth Sense, but Later deals more with the horror and ramifications of seeing dead people. And what if others knew about this power and wanted to exploit it? King is a master when it comes to setting plot and Later is a great example.

Another easy read that flows well right from the start. Empathy is very quickly earned for Jamie which makes the reader instantly connected and engaged. The plot is fast-paced, never straight-forward and an absolutely breeze to read. It may have taken me a week, but I knocked this one out in a pair of sittings.

Details

Pages: 248

Dates Read: March 8 – March 15, 2021

Quote: “So yeah, I see dead people. As far as I can remember, I always have. But it’s not like in that movie with Bruce Willis.”

Best Part: One whistle flips the script in dramatic fashion.

Hint for #39: This final piece of a trilogy was co-written by Stephen King, who did not take part in the second novel.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.