Ray Bradbury is a master story teller, having written an allegory that has stood the test of time, filled with detailed imagery and symbolism. It centers on a juggernaut of evil, under the guise of a traveling carnival that comes to town in the middle of the night. It is in the struggle between good and evil that lies the paradox of the characters' lives.
Another major theme in this novel is time as related to age. Those who are older wish to regain their youth, while those who are younger wish to enter adulthood. I love the way he describes summer people vs. autumn people, and thought that the clock imagery used throughout the novel was well done. Also, as the boys experience this loss of innocence, I delighted in the minor plot that was revealed as the father and son truly get to know one another and grow in love for each other.
As is often the case, I have a couple of gripes about the book. Bradbury's constant references to the paradoxes, became a bit exhausting ("and not exhausting"). Having said that, these contradictions are also a major theme in the book, where the boys see ("and don't see") the truth of what is happening to them. The boys, having been born on either side of midnight, show opposite traits as well: Will showing an affinity for good, and Jim, an affinity for evil and temptation. Another issue I found with Bradbury's writing style is his obsession with metaphor. Although, most often, it lends to the richly layered prose, at times it overwhelms the story.
Most of all, I absolutely love the title, a reference to Shakespeare's Macbeth: "By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes." Plus, how can you not love the writing of a man who had such great influence on Stephen King!
Read 5/17/15
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