There comes a time where we are all asked that dreaded question. You know the one. The question that gets your heart racing and your mind fluttering with countless thoughts and options.
Who is your favourite author?
Now, some of us have a name that we always reach for when this question is asked; it’s our safety net, and rock. And for me, this answer is none other than Stephen King. I’ve never truly been let down by his books, and I own almost all of them.
But now it’s confession time. I have yet to read many of his books
Some of you may be readying the pitchforks or getting your fingers ready for a barrage of comments. But hear me out…it’s time to fix that.
I’ve always wanted to read all of Stephen King’s books, and to experience his full career or writing. Or at least the greatest hits. So now I’m start this journey to read all his major releases, in release order, starting with Carrie.
With that preface said and done, let us continue into this review
This is my second time reading this novel, so I will admit not all of it is fresh to me. However, it’s been years since I’ve first read it, so my memory has all but faded.
Overall, I enjoyed Carrie a lot, for a multitude of reasons. However, I also wished for a lot more. Starting off with the negatives, I’ll begin with the main one: it’s shortness
I understand short novels inherently suffer from lack of detail and depth, so I can’t fault this book alone. However, I feel like I would have benefitted from more time with some of the characters, mainly Carrie herself. I thought the characters were realistic, yet still devoid of…something.
Maybe the reason I have this complain is, oddly enough, due to one of my praises of this book. King shows the reader glimpses of a larger world through the excerpts of interviews, news articles, and similar forms of in-universe media. I initially did not enjoy these, but they grew on me and became one of my highlights of the book. It was nice to see how Carrie’s abilities and abuse opened up a larger conversation to the world in the story, especially in regards to her telekinetic and other powers (a nice touch that plays nicely with King’s more recent work, The Institute).
This novel also thrived due to how hard it hit home. We have all seen cases of bullying happen around us, and know how cruel kids/teenagers can be to one another. Sue Snell acts as a conduit for many reader, as she witnesses these inhumane acts, but doesn’t necessarily want to get involved on either side, in order to avoid personal backlash. Even today, this story still teaches crucial lessons as there is no lack of news stories about bullying and how far victims are pushed.
Leading off that idea, Carrie works well as a horror novel as it not only involves the unknown and dangerous nature of Carrie’s abilities, but it highlights how, more often than not, humans are their own greatest monsters. As we progress through his books, we will get a chance to look at more examples of this, as King has no shortage of horrific and terrifying human antagonists.
I feel like I have hit all my main thoughts on this short tale of Carrie and the rocky paths of adolescence (plus the addition of less than natural abilities). It’s a wonderful book, but I felt like the story could have benefitted from more depth in certain areas; maybe thats just me nitpicking though lol.
Final Score: 7.5/10
For more up-to-date examples of my reading, watching, and general activities, be sure to follow my Instagram. I try to post there every day or so, and would love to connect with all of you 🔥
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