NOS4A2 by Joe Hill is the story of a little girl named Vic who has a magical passageway to whatever she needs to find. This passageway is The Shorter Way Bridge and she rides across it on her Raleigh bicycle, long after the actual bridge has crumbled and fallen.
Finding things you need is nice and fun, but going across the bridge affects Vic physically — and these effects are cumulative. Plus, she doesn’t realize that one day the bridge will lead her to a very evil man called Charlie Manx. He has his own special ride — a Rolls Royce with license plate NOS4A2. Manx uses this vehicle to transport children to Christmasland, his own messed-up version of fun, while his assistant deals with the parents in any way he wishes.
Vic narrowly escapes Manx as a teenager, but will meet up with him again as an adult. Due to the effects of crossing the bridge, everyone thinks she’s crazy, but she must push forward because she is the only one who can stop him.
NOS4A2 is an amazing book. It will grab your attention at the beginning and keep it all the way to the end. Joe Hill is the pen name of Joseph Hillstrom King, son of the legendary Stephen King. Although his writing has many similarities to his father’s, Hill is a great story-teller on his own. NOS4A2 is his third novel, and I hope he has many more.