The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
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Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland was supposed to spend a Saturday with her older brother, Pete, and her recently divorced mother on a six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire portion of the Appalachian trail. Since the divorce, Mrs. McFarland has uprooted her children and moved them from Boston to a small town in Maine, and as a result Pete is an angry young man. This hike was planned as a pleasant was for the three to spend a weekend.
Things go wrong, though, when Trisha steps off the trail for just a moment to pee and to take a break from the bickering of her mother and her brother. Trying to catch up to them by using a shortcut through the woods, she manages to get lost. And as night falls, the youngster strays deeper and deeper into a terrifying forest full of peril.
Clearly, this is a scary situation for anyone, let alone a nine-year-old girl. She's forced to use her wits to assist her in navigation. Things Trisha has learned in school and read about in books help her to battle the elements. Turning deep inside herself, her courage gives her the strength to withstand fear. Her one source of support is her Walkman, which she turns to various broadcasts of Boston Red Sox games and listens to the announcers talk about the resolute performances of her hero, relief pitcher Tom "Flash" Gordon.
When Trisha's radio begins to lose reception, she begins to imagine that Tom Gordon is actually with her. This "imaginary friend" is really key to her survival, too, as a horrifying enemy is following her through the wilderness, leaving slaughtered animals and mangled trees in its path.
George Romero, most famous for the zombie/social commentary films Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead will direct. As based on Stephen King's captivating novel, the story should translate well to film, especially under Romero's expert hand. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
