Psychological horror by King – review of the novel “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon”

Albatros publishing made fans of Stephen King another surprise. The novel, first published in 1999 – The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon – appeared quite recently in new clothes. And it impresses visually!

 

Weekend (family) trip

Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland goes with her mother and brother on a trip to the national park in the White Mountains massif. There, under the carelessness of its mother, it moves away, deviates from the trail and loses its way in the thicket of trees. While hiking alone, a nine-year-old listens to a Walkman. The broadcast of an extremely important game of the Red Sox baseball team, featuring the girl’s favorite player – pitcher Tom Gordon, initially confirms her belief that her story may have a happy ending, that leaving the forest is possible. Fighting hunger and horror, Trisha repeats silently: If the Red Soxi win, thanks to Tom Gordon, she too will be saved. However, is such a solution possible? To protect yourself from the ghostly creations of your own imagination (specifically – hallucinations), try everything you can isn’t it The modest plot of the story may not satisfy the reader who is well acquainted with the works of the Master of Terror. The novel is characterized by a large number of logical holes, and even errors that cannot be explained (they mainly concern the distance or time needed to travel them, as well as Trisha’s behavior). It should also not be assumed that every – without exception – horror novel enthusiasts will succumb to the magic of the reviewed book, after all, for some it will turn out to be too boring – one landscape, one heroine, loneliness and nothing for a long time, that’s what. For those more demanding, the psychological profile of a girl who, no different than adults would do, takes up the fight to survive in unfavorable conditions. The novel is characterized by a large number of logical holes, and even errors that cannot be explained (they mainly concern the distance or time needed to travel them, as well as Trisha’s behavior). It should also not be assumed that every – without exception – horror novel enthusiasts will succumb to the magic of the reviewed book, after all, for some it will turn out to be too boring – one landscape, one heroine, loneliness and nothing for a long time, that’s what. For those more demanding, the psychological profile of a girl who, no different than adults would do, takes up the fight to survive in unfavorable conditions. The novel is characterized by a large number of logical holes, and even errors that cannot be explained (they mainly concern the distance or time needed to travel them, as well as Trisha’s behavior). It should also not be assumed that every – without exception – horror novel enthusiasts will succumb to the magic of the reviewed book, after all, for some it will turn out to be too boring – one landscape, one heroine, loneliness and nothing for a long time, that’s what. For those more demanding, the psychological profile of a girl who, no different than adults would do, takes up the fight to survive in unfavorable conditions. that everyone – without exception – fans of horror novels will succumb to the magic of the reviewed book, after all, for some it will turn out to be too boring – one landscape, one heroine, loneliness and nothing for a long, long time, that’s what. For those more demanding, the psychological profile of a girl who, no different than adults would do, takes up the fight to survive in unfavorable conditions. that everyone – without exception – fans of horror novels will succumb to the magic of the reviewed book, after all, for some it will turn out to be too boring – one landscape, one heroine, loneliness and nothing for a long, long time, that’s what. For those more demanding, the psychological profile of a girl who, no different than adults would do, takes up the fight to survive in unfavorable conditions.

Underestimated

The girl who fell in love with Tom Gordonit is not a book particularly eagerly recommended by fans of King’s work, after all, the Master of Terror has created so many unique (and unforgettable) proposals that it is difficult to group them from the best to the worst, or vice versa. For the purposes of this review, I read the novel again and I must admit that I saw a lot more in it than a few years earlier. Trisha struggles with her fear, loneliness, helplessness and the forces of nature. He is experiencing a nightmare that could really happen to anyone – a dark forest, wandering for hours in unknown lands, a nervous breakdown resulting from omnipresent anxiety and an imaginary friend who – as you may know – really exists! The world created in the novel has some advantages, but judging by the overall picture, we can consider it average at best.

It is also worth paying attention to the translation of the title: English The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was translated into The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and while a girl is, according to the commonly defined definition, a female child or a young woman , in translation a nine-year-old girl is called a girl, not a girl. This problem was noticed before and some publishers, not wanting to significantly interfere with the once adopted title (girl Þ girl), shortened it (ie She fell in love with Tom Gordon ).

A visual gem, I suppose

The latest edition of the novel is visually delightful – hard cover, prominent title and author, original spine (King’s books published in this series must look fabulous on the shelf!), Atmospheric graphics and an interesting blurb. The cover was designed by Sławomir Rybka, who deserves huge congratulations. Krzysztof Sokołowski is responsible for the translation. The book is extremely short (just over 250 words), so reading won’t take long for the reader. For those who don’t have too many moments to relax, it would be a pretty good proposition for an evening out (as long as they don’t spend it alone in the middle of the forest!).

PS The Girl Who fell in love with Tom Gordon is a psychological horror movie that may see a film adaptation in the future , as we reported in 2020.