“Sometimes a hug was telepathy.” – The Institute, Stephen King. Page 556 

I thought it was wonderful. Coming off Duma Key, which I was fairly cool on and took quite a long time to read, I smashed through this one in just three or four days. It feels like Uncle Steve’s take on the YA super-special-kids-in-an-artificial-environment with the DNA of Stranger Things, Carrie, Firestarter, and The Shining thrown in. 

 Much like Erin Hannon, I really liked the beginning with Tim arriving in and experiencing DuPray. There’s just something so pleasant and lived-in about the small towns of Uncle Steve’s work. While reading, I texted my wife: I want Uncle Steve to just write a boring nothing happens slice of life. Maybe even a hallmark-ass small town romance. Just hang out and spend time with his characters. Maybe he has, don’t know. 

 And then we get to Luke, and things get decidedly more grim. He’s a classic Uncle Steve Good Kid. I feel like he would be friends with Bill Denbrough. And, jeez louise, would he be sweet on Bev Marsh. You know, now that I think about it, much like how Holden Caulfield is a Glass in a Glassless world(my wife’s words), Luke is Loser in a world without a Loser’s Club. Heck, in a way, I think they’d all fit in and be loved – Nick, Kalisha, Avery, Luke, and even Helen. 

 We also meet some truly abhorrent villains(fuck you, Sigsby) who aren’t mutants, boogeymen, or vampires. Just plain old callously evil humans. They’re sinners because, to paraphrase Terry Pratchett, they treat the children as things instead of living human beings. Something pretty true to life, I feel. A pretty grounded story, to be truthful, even with some of the supernatural elements. 

 Anyway, I really liked it, and the climax and ending actually brought me to tears.