It's times like these that I am glad I am not a person who will ever want to lie about their age. Haha. For this category I needed to find a book released in 1983. The book I chose was Apt Pupil by Stephen King. I have always been a fan of Stephen King. Granted, I have not read a lot of his books (really just 3 or 4), but I enjoy the movies based on his books. This book was actually chosen because I thought the movie adaptation was so creepy, but the good kind of creepy that just gives you chills and gets you thinking.
If I am being completely honest, this book is actually part of a four-book book. In 1983, King released a book called Different Seasons that consisted of four books. Each book was supposed to represent a season in one way or another. Apt Pupil was one of the books in this book, as was the book that would become Shawshank Redemption (another amazing movie).
Set in the mid-1970s, Apt Pupil tells the story of a very bright young boy named Todd Bowden who becomes obsessed with the Holocaust after finding some old war magazines in his friend's basement. Todd is an intelligent, privileged, 14 year old boy growing up in California. He wants to be an investigator when he grows up. He uses skills he has picked up to uncover a Nazi war criminal hiding out in his small town. Todd gets involved with Mr. Denker, aka Mr. Dussander, by blackmailing him. It begins with Todd's sick desire to hear the details of Patin, the fictional concentration camp that Dussander ran. Todd tells Dussander that if he doesn't talk to him, he will report him to the police. Dussander has been hiding in America for a very long time and doesn't wish to be discovered, so he talks to Todd. Meanwhile, Todd tells his parents that he is reading to Mr. Dussander because he is just an old man who wants some company.
As the years pass, Todd and Dussander become so entangled in each other's lives that they are dependent on each other for survival. At points it is hard to distinguish who the true villain is -- the clean-cut kid on the All Star team, or the Nazi war criminal. Each becomes so wrapped up in the horrible history that is being relived that they become mentally sick with it. They have nightmares or don't sleep at all. Each picks up a similar, deadly habit. While each relies on the other to keep his secret, they also each have secrets of their own kept from the other.
After nearly four years of this, Dussander is taken to the hospital after suffering from a heart attack. This is where the web of lies they had so carefully constructed begins to come crashing down around them.
As with many of the books I am documenting, I don't want to give away too much. This desire is even stronger with this book. If you are a fan of Stephen King, or thrillers in general, this book is a must-read (while the movie is good, the book is much much better).
4.5 Stars
P.S. Todd Bowden says, "I'm king of the world" long before DiCaprio ever did in Titanic.