I am such a fan of Stephen King, especially his more recent books which have moved away from full on horror to more rich character led books of different genres, often (but not always) involving supernatural elements and sometimes mystery or thriller elements and deep thoughtful plots.
I saw an ad for the TV adaptation of this book and realised it was a Stephen King that I hadn’t read and it sounded great so I bought it right away.
The institute that the book is named for is a secure and secret unit hidden in the woods in Maine, housing children with special gifts – either TK (telekinesis or the ability to move objects with their minds) or TP (telepathy – mind reading) or very rarely, both.
The children are abducted from their homes and told that they will be returned when they have completed their ‘service’ but we know that this is not true – the staff of the institute are ruthless and cold blooded in the pursuit of their mission and leave no witnesses. They believe (or at least some of them do) that they are working toward a greater good that is worth the sacrifice.
When Luke Ellis is taken to the institute, the staff hadn’t reckoned on his superior intelligence making him the first child in their ‘care’ with a real chance at fighting back.
I loved it (of course!) and I’m enjoying watching the tv show too.
Sarah Wray Writer 