As someone who’s only experience with Carrie has been that one Riverdale episode where everyone gets murdered, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve read a lot of other Stephen King books and short stories and I’m quite acquainted with his style, so I was pretty excited about reading this. I can definitely see some places where he obtained inspiration for his later works. I hope to watch the movie after I’m finished reading this, too.
Before hopping in, I’d heard this book heralded as not only one of King’s best works, but also one of the greatest thriller novels of all time. So far, I have to say, it’s lived up to its legacy. To be quite honest, it’s been exactly what you’d expect from a novel that can fit “high school” and “paranormal” into its synopsis on the back cover. The whole epistolary vibe is really cool too: the book is basically told through amalgamation of snippets from newspapers, letters, and some narrative passages. I’ve never really seen a book structured like this before, and it’s really good for pacing. I’d like to see other authors explore this format, because it’s very versatile and if used correctly can completely shift a narrative from being ‘fine’ to ‘excellent,’ and in this case, I’d say it does just that.
So far I’ve really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get the chance to read it more.