This is the first Stephen King book I've read. Thematically, it tries to do a lot and doesn't quite pull it all off. Themes of alcoholism, how children deal with trauma, race, hints of dealing with gay feelings (these last two are where it really lacks cohesion). The way I see it, if you're going to write with the general bluntness that King uses, you don't really have the leeway to hint at so many disparate themes. On the one hand, I understand the desire to introduce a lot of heavy ideas into your work even when you are writing for as wide of an audience as possible, but on the other, I prefer to rate books on how well they pull off whatever it is they're trying to do. The mix of heady psychosexual themes and pulpy blunt writing sort of turns me off.