I am going to start this review by saying I am 100% biased towards this book and I am not ashamed of it.
Okay so, Misery. This is the first Stephen King book I ever read and the one which made me love him so it's no wonder I'm biased. However, I tried to read it this time round as critically as possible (I was reading it as part of a book club) and even then, I found myself still loving it. This is pure King at his best-no supernatural elements, no weird things with aliens or monsters, just pure psychological horror and two really good characters. Let's start with those.
Paul is of course the main character. It was pointed out to me that he's a little flat by my book club and I really have to disagree. True, Paul is a typical King self-insert and perhaps the most blatant example there is. But Paul has such a strong voice as the narrator that he comes alive. I don't think anyone could read this and not root for Paul, not feel every ounce of his pain. Speaking of which...
Annie Wilkes. My god. As awful as she is, I LOVE her character. By which I mean, I love how detailed and fleshed out she is. Maybe now we're spoiled by murderers with tragic backstories but she was one of the first and one of the best. Not that she isn't causing all the tragedies herself. One thing that did surprise me upon rereading is just how quickly she turns on the crazy but hey, I like that the plot gets kickstarted instantly. I especially like when she gives up all pretence of letting Paul live and how easily she talks about killing him out of sheer weariness. Annie is horrifying in the best way and every second she's on the page, you can't help but tense up.
I promise I will get onto the negatives in a second but first, more gushing! One thing I thought was particularly done well was Paul's descent into Stockholm syndrome. It was blended so perfectly with his med addiction and his growing love of the book he was writing. It felt completely realistic to me and I loved how Annie also seemed to be aware of it, and how needy it made her despite her cynicism.
Okay, so actual criticisms. I have very few to make (big surprise there). A few of the rambly chapters probably could have been cut without too much being lost. I'm not sure what purpose the loss of Paul's thumb served, especially since it happens off-screen right after the on-screen loss of his foot. I guess it's supposed to highlight how awful she is but really, the foot scene worked better and the thumb felt like an add on that wasn't needed. And that's literally all I can think of right now. I really love this book.
Do I even need to sum up? King's fantastic writing style combined with a tense, sardine can thriller that stars two incredibly in-depth characters. A lot of horror, a lot of food for thought and a lot worth reading.
Overall Score:
.5
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