Carrie
by
Stephen King
Horror, Thriller, Supernatural, Psychological
Richard Alex Jenkins
Carrie is absolutely brilliant. A total romp. Thoroughly entertaining.
I am really surprised because Stephen King's second book 'Salem's Lot isn't anywhere near as good as this. It has great character development but isn't particularly scary or shocking, doesn't tie up the loose ends so well and overreaches itself too much. Carrie, on the other hand, is absolutely stunning, hermetically flawless and tight!
In the movie versions, Carrie is definitely a strange girl but still presentable. Here she's portrayed as a lumpy, sweaty, zitty, reclusive introvert with zero social skills, caused by her strict religious upbringing by her crazy and obsessive mother. Yes, that crazy religious nut played by Piper Laurie in the original 1976 film.
Some of the religious stereotypes are questionable because there is a lot of good to be said about Christian upbringings and morals, but the book works brilliantly to combine creepy devout misconceptions into dark and brooding resentment linked to telekinesis and how it can be misused through pent up rage. Incessant bullying does that to you. Lack of a strong father figure in the home? Time and time again, stray and confused youths opening fire in crowded places. God knows why? Mistreatment leading to indignance is a nuclear bomb waiting to go off and Stephen King does a brilliant job expressing it.
Carrie reads like a freight train, it's impossible not to get 'carried' away and thrill in the ride. I enjoyed it so much, partly out of nostalgia, mildly out of malicious childishness, totally because of how exciting and well written it is and partly for the plight of a 'regular' girl who's been unfairly treated by spoilt, snobbish richer kids just for kicks and entertainment.
For an old book published 50 years ago, Carrie is alive, fresh and invigorating. It's morally disturbing and touches on some unpleasant themes at times but more importantly, it's total theatre!
The buildup is amazing, character development is astonishingly believable and the finale keeps on getting better and better.
I even feel a born-again-Christian Cliff Richard song coming on 😎.
"Carrie doesn't live here anymore
Carrie used to room on the second floor
Sorry that she left no forwarding address
That was known to me."
The use of witness testimonies, court documents and published articles feels really alive and informative as an extra way to clarify the story and this is probably the easiest review I have written. Five stars and worth its weight in cold blood.
Stephen King signed himself a career-long legacy through this book for as much money as he could print. Incredibly, it's his first published work and the rest is history!
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