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Later
336 pages
A gritty, supernatural coming-of-age tale where the ghosts of the past refuse to stay buried and the cost of survival is innocence itself.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting across from an old friend as they unspool a dark, unbelievable secret over a cheap cup of coffee. It blends the punchy, hardboiled momentum of a pulp detective novel with the creeping, dread-soaked atmosphere of classic supernatural horror. The narrative voice is incredibly conversational and wry, pulling you effortlessly through a briskly paced nightmare that feels both intimately nostalgic and deeply unsettling. As the protagonist navigates the terrifying intersection of the living and the dead, the emotional texture shifts from eerie childhood wonder to a sobering, gritty realization of adult moral ambiguity. It is a perfect fit for anyone who loves a coming-of-age story wrapped in shadows, where the monsters are real and the loss of innocence is the ultimate price.
- Mood
- creepy
- tense
- shadowy
- nostalgic
- Tone
- conversational
- retrospective
- gritty
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- loss of innocence · moral ambiguity · the burden of secrets · persistence of evil · childhood trauma
- The writing
- Conversational and sharp, blending folksy, retrospective storytelling with the punchy, hardboiled cadence of a pulp crime novel.
- The arc
- The journey shifts from the eerie wonder of a strange childhood into a harrowing, high-stakes confrontation that forces a sobering, premature adulthood.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave a fast-paced blend of supernatural chills, gritty detective tropes, and poignant coming-of-age reflections.
Content notes
- child endangerment
- gore
- suicide
- substance abuse
- violence
About the book
SOMETIMES GROWING UP
MEANS FACING YOUR DEMONS
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 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.
LATER is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King’s classic novel It, LATER is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.
Description from Open Library.
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