Carrie

Carrie is the classic horror story of a prom night gone wrong by Stephen King. I'm usually not a fan of horror and the last time I read Stephen King I quickly gave up (in my defence, I was 11). So I was surprised when I found I actually loved this book. As my sister said 'it's like Matilda gone wrong'. It's the story of Carrie, a senior High School student who is horribly bullied at school and abused and tortured at home by her fanatically religious mother. When Carrie discovers she has Telekinetic powers the results are catastrophic and throw a whole town into disarray.

I really like the way King writes from the perspectives of several different characters and incorporates third party reports in the book. It gives the reader more of an in-depth insight into the story. For example, Carrie's mother is painted as a fanatical child abuser throughout most of the book (which, I still, maintain, she is). Yet toward the end of the book we start to see the story from her perspective and get some insight into her hidden humanity.

As for the horror side, King adds just enough gory details without going over the top. The book actually struck me as being more of a psychological horror than anything elese. This makes it both a little scary and interesting to read. It also raises issues of child abuse and bullying and the reader is left feeling sympathy for Carrie despite what she ultimately does. I'm looking forward to reading more Stephen King books.

Carrie