It has been a long time since I’ve read a novel by Stephen King. I believe it’s 2 years, the last book being Wizard and Glass. I thoroughly enjoyed the Gunslinger series as well as King classics, such as Carrie, Christine and The Shining. I wish I could say that much about Hearts in Atlantis.
Since the charm of Nora Roberts has been wearing off recently, I decided to try another Stephen King book. After all, he was my favorite author at one point. I read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and loved every page. I can’t wait until the film comes out. In the airport, I saw Hearts in Atlantis and thought I’d give it a try. I had heard
nothing but rave reviews about it.
Boy, was I disappointed.
Hearts in Atlantis seems to be an autobiography of King’s college days. There are five separate stories told about people who have a common link: a character named Carol Gerber. The book starts told in a third person POV, closely following the character of eleven-year old Bobby Garfield. Bobby makes friends with an older man, Ted, who warns him about the “low men in yellow coats” who are following him. Some bullies beat up Carol, who is Bobby’s girlfriend. Bobby teaches one of the bullies a lesson, and then the first part of the book ends. The second part of the book is told from Pete Riley’s POV. Pete is a college freshman during the time of the Vietnam War. His girlfriend? That’s right: Carol Gerber. Pete and his floor buddies in Chamberlain Hall decide to play Hearts, and get caught up in the game all semester. People are failing out left and right, then end up going off to war. Carol joins the anti-war movement. Yada yada yada, on to the third book. Book 3 is about Willie Shearman, one of the bullies who beat up
Carol Gerber when she was little. He’s a Vietnam Vet who saves John Sullivan, Carol’s ex-boyfriend, during the War. Now, Willie has a wife and makes his living begging on a street corner. This part and the first part of the book are the only parts that totally held my attention. The fourth part is told about John Sullivan, Carol’s ex-boyfriend and the guy Willie saved in Vietnam. Sully-John (as he’s called throughout the book) goes to a funeral of one of his war buddies and reminisces about a lot they went through in the War. The fifth and final section of the book is about Carol and Bobby.
After thinking about it, I still don’t know why Carol was such a huge part of the book. She was a link between all of the male characters, but it’s never explained why. Also, the character of Ted Brautigan, who appears at the beginning of the book, never shows up again. He’s mentions once in a while - particularly in the final part of the book - but never shows up again. It’s all very mysterious, but without being solved or explained at the end. Plots are led in every which way, but nothing is ever truly established. There isn’t a single solid plot that runs throughout the whole book.
While some of the characters are well developed (the young Bobby Garfield and Pete Riley), others are very flat (Bobby’s mother and Ted Brautigan). Usually, all of King’s characters are very well-developed, even if they appear in just one chapter. This book was different, and very disappointing.
King seems to be getting tired. I’d appreciate him more if he’d stay away from the real-life stuff and stick with the supernatural. He does that the best, in my humble opinion.
If you like reading about the Vietnam War, you might enjoy this one. Personally, I liked The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. Was King even in the Vietnam War? I don’t think so. It just doesn’t seem believable with what he writes. And, when the supernatural parts come in, they seem out of place. I don’t recommend it, though.