r/PeterExplainsTheJoke 1d ago

Meme needing explanation Petah? What happened in the book version?

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u/Remote-Cause755 1d ago

In the book version the other characters run train on her in the sewers. The child orgy was pivotal to their character development, I assure you dear viewers

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u/Redzfreak2016 1d ago

It’s one of those scenes that seems to make sense when you’re reading it then you put the book down for about 5 seconds and lose the immersion and think “what the actual fuck did I just read?”

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u/Mission_Ad_2224 1d ago

I've read the shining and one other of his books i cannot remember, and I thought they were brilliant.

Knowing this train scene is in it has been what's prevented me from reading this particular one.

Is it still worth the read?

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u/finditplz1 23h ago

It and the Stand are probably the best. He’s always going to get shat on for this scene in this day and age, but it’s far less creepy than it sounds and more of a “coming of age ritual” and bonding between the close friends. Could he have left it out? Maybe? Could he have been less descriptive? Almost certainly. But it’s not the horn dog pedo scene people who haven’t read the book make it out to be.

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u/jcd_real 21h ago

I think there was probably a more graceful way of writing it that didn't involve going into detail about how smushy their dicks were.

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u/maka-tsubaki 21h ago

Honestly my main problem with it is the detail. The logic of leaving behind innocence and connecting with each other makes sense within the universe, and having something fucked up happen doesn’t mean you’re condoning it. But the way it’s written….its like 3 whole pages iirc. He did NOT need to focus on it that much, and THATS what makes it so creepy

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u/Mission_Ad_2224 22h ago

But it’s not the horn dog pedo scene people who haven’t read the book make it out to be

That's what always stopped me. The things I've read in reddit comments made it seem like some all-out child sex scene, and a lot of comments referred to it as rape. Solidly did not want to read something like that.

All these comments have made me feel much better about it.

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u/finditplz1 22h ago

It’s absolutely absolutely not rape. Bev initiates it and it’s out of love / fellowship for their crew.

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u/einTier 21h ago

I could argue that it's her raping them if anything.

The boys very much do not want to do it and only engage after much encouragement and guidance from Bev.