Carrie may be picked on by her classmates, but she has a gift. She can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. This is her power and her problem. Then, an act of kindness, as spontaneous as the vicious taunts of her classmates, offers Carrie a chance to be a normal . . . until an unexpected cruelty turns her gift into a weapon of horror and destruction that no one will ever forget. 1974. Pages: 253
Carrie was King’s debut novel, hitting the shelves in the late 70s and later turning into one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. I was so elated to start this King novel, being a long time fan and hearing such exceptional things about it. I must say I was a bit displeased with this read, I had an extremely hard time getting into it and felt this one was a rather slow burn. I was really hoping as with some of King’s work, that it would pick up closer to the middle or end . . . however, it did not. Carrie has been described as thrilling, bloody and vengeful, yet the only opinion I can really agree with is that it was a tad vengeful. I found it rather simple in my honest opinion, almost boring. With that said, I loved the character depth and found it impossible not to like Carrie and feeling nothing but sympathy for her throughout the whole novel. I also enjoyed the depth the novel went into describing Ms. White, giving much more background into their home life than in the movie. The characters were brilliant and well detailed, the writing was accomplished and crisp. I also loved how King added in reports, interrogations and first hand accounts from prom night. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and creatively written debut novel.
The basis of the story revolves around Carrie White who is raised by her overly religious and presumably mentally ill mother, Ms. White. Carrie is a teenager who attends her local public High School, where she is the target of unbelieve torment. Carrie’s suffering seems to steam from her extreme social awkwardness, mostly from her mother’s estranged raising. Carrie knows little about life outside of bible versus, religion and her mothers disillusioned rantings about proper morals. Thus leaving Carrie to live all of her 16 years not even knowing what a period was, ultimately leading to a disastrous freak out in the girls locker room and ultimately the beginning of the end. One of the students, Sue, whom was apart of the bullying for years, had a sudden urge of remorse towards Carrie. Sue then asks her very popular boyfriend, Tommy, to escort Carrie to the prom, as a true truce of peace, believing Carrie would for once enjoy herself. Little did anyone know, Carrie was gifted with telekinesis, but they soon would in the most deadly of ways. Carrie attends prom with her date Tommy, leading to the ultimate prank of them all and a terrifying ending for those involved.
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