by Stephen King
199 pages
Okay, okay, so I know there are tons of choices for this category that are more obvious. Like, Wicked, for example. However, I don't think that a reading challenge is complete without a Stephen King book, and our local dinner theater did a production of the Carrie musical a few years ago, so here we are.
I gotta say that I have seen two movie versions of Carrie, and never had any real desire to read this book. I figured that I knew the story and it wasn't really my favorite, but I read it with an open mind, and I gotta say that I enjoyed the book so much more than the movies. I know this is usually the case, but the book presents the story in such a different way, that it was really interesting to read. I suppose I should also talk about the musical here too. The production I say was really well-done. The voices were great, the sets were on point, but as musicals go, it wasn't one I loved. To be honest, the only song I even vaguely remember was something like "The World According to Chris."
Anyway, back to the book. In the beginning of the book, the big, tragic, prom night event has already happened. The book presents the story of Carrie White as more of a case study on Telekinesis (or TK). We do get the story of Carrie getting her first period and the girls at school being extremely cruel to her. We see this happening in real time, but it has also already happened.
King presents parts of the the story and then there is a break in it and there is a excerpt from various sources (also just created for the book) like The Shadow Exploded, My Name is Sue Snell, and Telekinesis: Analysis and Aftermath. The additions from these sources provided new insight on the state of mind Carrie was in and what pushed her over the limit.
These additional sources discuss things like the genes that cause TK, the history of Carrie's family, and all of the things Carrie had put up with in school/life over the years. In the play/movies you do feel some sympathy towards Carrie, but the story is presented more as a horror story and the book makes you more empathetic and the story is more tragic.
Overall, I am really glad I read this book. It isn't my favorite book, not even my favorite King book, but I really liked the presentation of the story. I would recommend this book to people who like the movie, even people who didn't. It does have some graphic parts, but it isn't over the top. It's a quick read too, so it's a good story to get through and then sit back and let sink in.
3.5 Stars