Carrie
Review by Bindi Lavelle
Author: Stephen King
Upon a recent re-read of this classic King novel, I could see why the character of Carrie has become so iconic, not just in horror circles but in general pop culture.
For those unfamiliar, the book follows the story of Carrie, a high school misfit routinely bullied at school and tormented at home by her evenegical mother. Freak accidents occur during a few of these instances, and Carrie realizes she possesses telekinetic powers. Through the course of the book Carrie hones these skills in order to free herself of her tormentors.
The narrative flicks between different forms in an episodic manner; moving between book excerpts, court testimony, newspaper articles and standard prose. This technique serves not only to frames the extreme events of the conclusion but explore the lead up in multiple perspectives.
The multi faceted narrative also brings richness to the characters which would be lacking in standard prose. Through seeing the thoughts behind the action the reader can choose a perspective to view Carrie's revenge rather than being confined by a single characters point of view.
As Carrie was King's first published novel (although it was the forth he completed) it is interesting to see his talent in a much more raw level. Carrie is noticeably shorter than King's other work, however that does not mean that there is any less of a buildup in tension; the economy of the narrative and the ever present threat of Carrie's powers make for a tight, tense read.
There is a reason that Stephen King is so well read that his name is synonymous with horror, and that is because he writes interesting and tense narrative; the key ingredients of any good scary story. Carrie is a prime example of this.
9.5/10