In Stephen King’s novel It, the story takes place in Derry, a fictional town in Maine. Derry is where the Losers’ Club grows up, encounters the creature known as It, and later returns as adults when the killings begin again.
The novel moves between two periods, roughly 27 years apart. During the late 1950s, seven children investigate the strange violence surrounding their hometown and discover that It can change shape to exploit its victims’ fears, most famously appearing as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Decades later, the adult friends reunite in Derry to confront the entity again.
Derry is one of King’s recurring fictional Maine locations. It is often discussed alongside Castle Rock and Jerusalem’s Lot, but those are separate towns in his fictional geography. King has said that Derry is essentially his fictional portrayal of Bangor, Maine, while the novel itself uses Derry as a fully imagined setting. It was published in 1986.