A Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

Stephen King is one of the most prolific authors of our time. Up to date, King had written 60 books and more than 200 short stories. His works were adapted into more than a dozen beloved, popular movies and TV series; for examples, The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, IT, The Shining, The Stand etc... King writes books in different genres, from non-fiction, mystery, sci-fi fantasy, to horror. Although he is perhaps best known as a horror writer. When did King's colorful career begin? It is commonly agreed that Carrie, a 240 page horror/thriller novel, kick-started King's writing career in 1974.

Two film adaptations based on this novel appeared in Hollywood. The first movie adaptation was made in 1976. Since then, this movie gained the status of a cult classic. The second adaptation was made in 2013 and it was a flop. I have seen both movies, and I really liked the 1976 version. However, I have never read the novel until I came across this book in my local library recently. I loaned this book, carried it home and read it in 2 sittings. I read it in 2 sittings because the story gripped me deeply from the first page to the last. Carrie tells a powerful story that continued to haunt my mind for days after I closed the last page of it. Allow me to share my thoughts about Carrie in a book review.

Synopsis:

Take a while and search your memory. Was there an outcast in your school? You know, the kid who was ostracized and treated horribly by everyone else? Do you remember this kid's name?

Every school has a kid who is an outcast. An outcast who is shunned and laughed at by every other kid.

Carrie White, a 17 year old girl, was the outcast at Thomas Ewen High school. Everyone rejected Carrie and she had no friend. As if this was not bad enough already, Carrie's mother, who had an extreme, religious fundamentalist worldview and mentally unstable, also abused Carrie at home.

Carrie's life was miserable indeed. Her life reached an all time low, when Carrie had her first menstruation while showering at school after the gym class. Carrie had no idea what menstruation was and thought she was bleeding to death. Instead of helping her, Carrie's classmates threw tampons at her, mocking Carrie mercilessly. The gym teacher interrupted the bullying, saving Carrie from further humiliations and punished Carrie's classmates.

One of Carrie's classmates, a girl called Sue Snell, felt remorse and wished to make it up to Carrie . Sue asked her handsome boyfriend to take Carrie out to the graduation prom. However, a chain of unfortunate events would twist Sue's good intention into a tragedy full of horror and destruction. A tragedy that walked hand in hand with Carrie's untapped power of telekinesis.

My thoughts about this book:

When I was reading this book, a thought occurred to me that in today's popular culture of superhero fictions, a girl with telekinetic powers could easily become a superheroine wearing a flying cape. However, under Stephen King's pen (or typewriting), Carrie became a horror novel. So where is the horror in this book and what is so horrifying about it?

I thought about this question for a time. For me, the answer lies in the story of this book. Carrie is a fictional story about a person who was pushed to the extreme until the buried angers from years of abuse and cruelty finally exploded in everyone's face. This story is powerful and it terrifies me, because I can recall from my own memory a few kids who were ostracized at my school(s), and I either partook in the ostracizing or did nothing to stand up against it. As a person reaching mid thirties, reading this book reminded me of my own cruelty when I was a teenager/child, but I also wonder if I am truly more empathetic and compassionate than 15 years ago or if I am just getting better at disguising my cruelty with outward niceties. For me, this reminder is where the element of horror lies in Carrie, and it struck me deeply and profoundly.

Carrie also associated (frequently) images about blood with power. Especially at the story's beginning, when Carrie White had her first menstruation and subsequently discovered her telekinetic powers. Remember, this book was written in 1974. Before this time, a woman's sexuality was often portrayed as something to be ashamed of and a subject of taboo. However, this book turned the popular view at the time up-side-down. In this story Carrie White's menstruation went hand in hand with the growth of her previously, undiscovered power of telekinesis. I speculate the author may be trying to establish some sort of an underlying theme about a girl reaching womanhood, becoming confident with her sexuality, and finding her place in the world. However, in this instance I am uncertain about the correctness of my analysis, so I leave the would-be readers to come to their own interpretations. Nevertheless, I do remember reading an interview with Stephen King, where he mentioned the difficulties he faced as a male author writing a book with a female protagonist, and the motivations behind his choice. Based on this novel's success and its positive receptions by both male and female readerships, I think it is evident that King did very well at writing a female protagonist. 

The structuring of this book is unusual. This book consists of chapters. Every chapter usually begins with a letter, or a testimony about the Carrie White Incident before moving into the actual narratives. I like this style of storytelling here. The letters and testimonies at the beginning of each chapter provided insights into the thoughts and feelings of the characters, while exploring the background of the story and its aftermath. I also found the story moved at a very fast pace. The writings were descriptive, yet remaining concise and effective.

As a horror/thriller novel, Carrie successfully entertains readers with a gripping story and memorable characters. More importantly, Stephen King wrote in the forewords of this book, the story of Carrie White was inspired by the stories of two girls he knew in his own life, both have passed away and were ostracized kids, and that he wished he had done something for them. This is why Carrie is a powerful novel, the premise of the story causes resonances in our own memories and we relate to it. The story in this book struck me deeply by reminding me of my own insensitivity and cruelty in my earlier years. A cruelty that I am not entirely sure has been completely stamped out by genuine empathy and compassion (or if I am truly in possession of both). Perhaps this is a realization that many readers share after reading this book, and the reason why the popularity of Carrie never waned 4 decades after the its publication.