Hearts in Atlantis, by Stephen King, is a fascinating book built of two novellas and three short stories, each of which could stand alone. However, when taken together, the parts add up to a forty year coming-of-age story for a group of young men, that can also be thematically traced out to their entire generation.
Published in 1999 by the author of Tommyknockers, Cell, 'salem's Lot, and others, Hearts in Atlantis spans the 1960 to 1999. The book opens with an eleven year old boy, Bobby, whose mother is distant and spiteful, but alone, growing up in 1960. He is befriended by a kind old psychic man that is on the run from cosmic evil. In truth, this man has no place in 1960, and his presence there leaves a mark on Bobby and his two friends that follows them for 39 years.
In excellent form, Stephen King delivers a sweeping declaration about love and war with Hearts in Atlantis. The book is fierce and unforgiving in its depictions of America at its strangest historical point. The characters are complex, and their grief and joy unforgettable. I would recommend this book to any male American 15 and up, or anybody that enjoys Stephen King, Vietnam stories, or The Dark Tower series.
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