Page Count:  224

Author:  Stephen King

Publisher:  Scribner/Simon & Schuster

ISBN:  0-684-86762-1

Category:  Fiction

Genre:  Horror/Drama

Review - Courtesy of Valerie Barnes (Reprinted here, with Permission)  "Guys, I have to pee" were the last words Trisha McFarland said to her mother and brother as they walked away from her up the Appalachian Trail. In fact, those were the last words she said to anyone over the next nine days. Anyone real, that is.
     Trisha McFarland had been dealing with the recent divorce of her parents, and the constant arguing between her older brother, Pete, and their mother. The plan for the day, was for the three of them to hike a six mile section of the Appalachian Trail. They would be picked up later by a shuttle, and returned to their own vehicle. Little did they know, the plan was going to change.
     Early into the hike, Pete and their mother were at it again. Trisha lagged behind, so she wouldn�t have to listen to them. A young girl of nine, almost ten, but big for her age, was sick to death of the constant bickering back and forth. She decided that she needed to pee, and stepped off the path. Her call to them went unheard, as they walked and fought up the trail. Trisha stopped, looked around, and decided that as far as privacy went, she better go a little further into the woods, out of the view of any passer-by. Once she decided on a spot, she inspected it for poison ivy. The area was clear, so she continued to squat, just like how her mother had taught her. When finished, she figured that she would cut through the woods in a different direction that she had come. It would save time. She went on her way. She ended up walking farther than she expected.
     Where was the path? She should�ve come to it by now. She stopped and listened. Nothing. No voices, no traffic. Only the constant chirp of birds, and an occasional snap of a branch, as the breeze rustled the ever looming trees. Surely, she would come to it soon. She continued in the same direction, trying not to think that she might be lost.
     She trudged on slowly, while a 'funny feeling' started to brew in her stomach. It was panic seeping its way in. Not much longer went by, and she was completely panic stricken. She fled through the woods, running as fast as her legs would carry her, screaming. The luck of one tree saved her from diving over a cliff. She grasped it, breathing hard, sweaty, her heart pumping so hard she thought it would burst. She was lost. She admitted it then.
     So, this began the story of a little girl lost in the woods, alone and frightened half to death. Little water and food, and also a fear of the dark. Little knowledge of the woods, and carrying the uncertainty of what lurked behind every tree. No one to keep her company except for her walkman, and the love of baseball. Thank god for the walkman. It was at least a link to a world not dwarfed by trees.
     During her travels, she nibbled on the lunch her mother had packed for her. It consisted of a tuna fish sandwich, twinkies, a hard boiled egg, some celery sticks, a bottle of water, and also, a 20 oz. bottle of Surge, her favorite. She stretched it out for as long as she could, then had to resort to berries, leaves and nuts. Not much for a growing girl of nine.
     She missed her mother, brother, and her father. She wanted to go home. She wanted to hang out with her best friend Pepsi, and play with her favorite doll Mona. Her thoughts kept her company, and she talked to herself during the day.
     The bugs were driving her crazy. They swarmed and hummed no matter how much she slapped at them, or waved her hands at them. At night, after creating a den to sleep in, she tuned into whatever Red Sox game she could. She loved Tom Gordon. The games gave her comfort, and made her surroundings less threatening. They also hid the noises of the forest that came at night. She was convinced that there was something in the woods following her. At times she thought she could almost see it. But most definitely, she could sense it: a 'thing.'
     While she slept, the bugs continued to feast on her. She would wake up dirtier, sweatier, and itchier than the day before. She fantasized about her search party, and her rescue. She knew that people lost in the woods sometimes died, but she tried not to think about that. The longer she was in the woods, every day became more difficult for her to get through. She was forced to deal with rain, wind, night, bugs, swamps, carcasses of dead animals, and hunger. She was tired. Hot during the day, and cold at night, eventually got her sick, as well. Her body ached from all the walking, and sleeping on the ground. She was in desperate need of a bath. Her imagination warped, to the point of hallucination. She saw images of Tom Gordon. She spoke to him as if he was standing there with her, walking with her. He had become her vision of God. She believed that he would get her out of this. She trusted that.
     Trisha, a girl of nine, but big for her age, was forced to become a woman, out in those woods alone. She was forced to grow up. She faced danger in every step she took. She lived in fear of the 'thing.' She developed her own faith in God, or at least, in a god that was hers. She learned to appreciate her family as it was. What she was going through now, made the divorce of her parents seem irrelevant. She was forced to mature. After all, this was a life and death situation.
     "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" is truly a compelling story. It deals with a child�s mind, family crisis, the forces of nature and of God, and the true happenings in our every day lives: Family outings, divorce, sibling-hood, imagination, a young girl's 'crush,' the American love of baseball, and the ordeals of growing up. This story is not the normal 'King-novel' length, but within its pages, a true novel has been born. Stephen King combined all these elements easily and produced a masterpiece. He has the talent of making us, the readers, 'feel.' King manages to grab us from our couches, and from our beds, and he places us right in the woods, along side Trisha, to share in her fear of the unknown. We just want to grab her by the hand, and lead her the hell out of there. King�s description of the woods goes beyond imagination, into reality. Reading his words, we can see the different shades of greens, and browns. We can see the light shining and reflecting on leaves, and the branches creating shadows that have monster-like features. We can feel the cushy effect of all the pine needles under our feet on the forest floor. If you listen really close, you can hear the buzzing of the mosquitoes, and noseeums; can almost feel them crawling on you, in search of blood, and getting stuck in your sweat.
     I�m fascinated, again, with King�s ability to incorporate God into a story without sounding 'preachy.' He accomplished that in �The Stand.� In this story, he did it through the mind and heart of a child. Trisha remembers a conversation she had with her father about what his beliefs were. With that memory, and with her love of Tom Gordon, she creates her own faith, and thrives on it. She believes that if Tom �saves� another game, she�ll be rescued. Trisha remembers how Tom points, and understands that he is giving credit to God, in his own way.
     This story will make you rock back and forth on the edge of your seat. It�ll make your heart pound with anticipation. It might even make you cry. It's the kind of story that you wish would never end, but you are very satisfied when it does. Stephen King has said "If books were babies, I�d call The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon the result of an unplanned pregnancy." I support that statement. This was definitely a tale that needed to be born.

     Thanks, Valerie!!!! And I, Dove, give this book a big TWO-THUMBS-UP, GOLD-STAR rating!!!