Later by Stephen King
Source: Purchased Audible, 6+ hrs. I am an Amazon Affiliate
Later by Stephen King, narrated by Seth Numrich, is another of those thriller and less-horror King novels.
(trigger warning for possible domestic violence and incest)
Jamie Conklin sees dead people, but you'll learn this right from the start of this novel. His life is anything but conventional, especially because of his gift. However, his mother, who works in publishing, struggles financially as a single mother and victim of a Ponzi scheme. What I loved was Jamie's character development, his innocence was whittled away little by little as others use him for his ability, but at the same time, he learns to think for himself and set some boundaries. His mother seems to have learned little from her romantic struggles, and I sense that she doesn't think beyond the immediate needs and risks to the bigger picture in many cases. But she's really more of a background character, like Jamie's invalid uncle.
King always seems to have a firm grasp on childhood and the struggles kids face with parents, peers, and other adults. He makes their lives real and reminds us that we all had those struggles once. But his supernatural elements really bring the creep. Jamie must contend with some dark evils in this novel, and while not always successful, King's supporting characters round out the story and provide the main protagonist with the direction he needs in a believable way.
Later by Stephen King provides the best in character development and story-telling, but there is a rushed element near the end that seems like it was tacked on a little too quickly. I wanted a little bit more here, but given that it is told from Jamie's 20-something point of view after everything happened, it seems like he has more to process later on. Perhaps there will be more, later.
RATING: Quatrain