The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - Stephen King

Review by Coll
4 Stars

Okay, so The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is not exactly a new book (1999) but after reading it a second time I really wanted to review it. I first read it when it came out 17 years ago. My mom has always been obsessed with Stephen King so she had me reading his books since I was a kid and I, in turn, fell in love with his writing. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is not what some people would think of as your “typical” King book. It is about a young girl, Trisha, who gets lost in the woods along a branch of the Appalachian Trail while hiking with her mother and brother. Her attempt to backtrack and find the trail again only takes her further into the woods, miles away from civilization. The one thing that stops her from completely losing it, is that she has her Walkman (like I said, 1999) with her and she is able to listen to the Red Sox games where her hero, Tom Gordon is the relief pitcher. Her fantasies of him saving her help her to cope with the worst of what nature has to throw at her, but can it also help her with the evil that is tracking her from deep within the woods?

Back when I was 19 and first read this I was a huge Yankees fan (still am!) and at first was unsure if I could read it since the hero was a Red Sox Player (any East Coaster will understand). But immediately after starting the book that tiny little fact meant nothing to me because I was so drawn into the story. This is not straight-up horror, like a lot of King’s books are, so don’t go into it expecting that. It is the survival story of a young girl, with some creepy elements thrown into it. I say this because I think many people went into this book expecting King horror, and that is not what they got. So I feel knowing what to expect early on will not cloud your judgement going into reading the book.

I think King did a great job at portraying a child’s mind and actions. Trisha often ponders what her best friend would say in situations, what her parents would say or do, sings boy band songs, and obsesses over her hero/crush Tom Gordon. I also found it easily believable that a sports figure could be so important and savior-esque to her. Anyone who was a huge sports fan as a child had that one player they completely looked up to that seemed invincible. So I found nothing out of the ordinary about her using the Red Sox games as a grounding method and Gordon as an imaginary friend to help her through the woods. She also utilizes her survival skills that she learned from her mother, who is very into hiking, to find food and water while lost. However, she also does some incredibly stupid things that cause her more trouble. So basically she was being a typical child. ;-)

Now, of course, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon had to be more than just a survival story (this IS King after all) and there is definitely something creepy going on throughout the majority of the book. I don’t want to go too much into it and spoil anything, but Trisha knows she is being stalked by something when she hears twigs snapping, seeing movement out of the corner or her eye, feels like she is being watched, and comes across some grisly scenes that she knows no human or forest animal could have done. To me, this was one of my favorite facets of the story. To read a story about a little girl in the woods but still get chills up your spine from something evil and unknown is just such a great feeling, in my twisted opinion. ;-)

As far as the writing goes, it is good but definitely not King’s best. It seems a little rushed at moments and just not always as spectacular as his writing normally is. This is not saying it is bad though by any means. The story has that easy style of writing that King has mastered, where he immediately pulls you in, immerses you in it, and makes you feel creeped out and on guard the entire time. I feel like The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon would be really good for people who want to read King but are not huge horror fans (I am looking at you Tiina) because it balances survival, thriller, and horror quite well without being terrifying. It is interesting, quick-paced, creepy, and at times heart-wrenching and I definitely recommend it, especially as a summer read.

“The world is a worst case scenario and I'm afraid that all you sense is true”

Interested in The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon? Check it out on Goodreads.