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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Significant violence including child abuse and a confrontation sequence with casualties; King's thriller register
Language
A lot
Significant profanity throughout
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Some substance use among adult characters
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Strong psychological content: the systematic abuse of children, the psychological cost of exploitation, and the question of what children can endure
What this book is about
When twelve-year-old genius Luke Ellis is kidnapped and brought to the Institute — a remote Maine facility where children with telekinetic or telepathic abilities are systematically exploited — he finds other children who have been there longer, and begins to understand what the facility actually does. King's return to thriller territory deals with the resilience of children against institutional evil, with significant violence when the children decide to fight back.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Systematic child abuse and exploitation as the central horror
Violence when children fight back
Reader Verification
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