Carrie by Stephen King

Synopsis:

Carrie White may have been unfashionable and unpopular, but she had a gift. Carrie could make things move by concentrating on them. A candle would fall. A door would lock. This was her power and her sin. Then, an act of kindness, as spontaneous as the vicious taunts of her classmates, offered Carrie a chance to be normal and go to her senior prom. But another act--of ferocious cruelty--turned her gift into a weapon of horror and destruction that her classmates would never forget ...

My Thoughts:

I'm not the most experienced reader when it comes to horror books. I've read a few but I'm still relatively new in this genre.

Carrie was my second book by Stephen King and, once again, I was completely fascinated by the story he created. It was a really quick read - something that I didn't expect - and it captivated me right from the start.

I was completely awestruck by what Carrie went through, not only at school, but also at home. Her mother startled me and I actually think she was much scarier than Carrie - even though she didn't have her telekinetic abilities. She was too radical in her religious beliefs and the way she treated her own daughter was appalling! As for Carrie, I actually liked her but I also felt sorry for her even after all the terrible things she did. I think it was really unfortunate that people treated her that way and made her feel like a complete outcast ...

Also, I really enjoyed the writing style and the inclusion of different perspectives while the story was being narrated. Some of them were a bit more personal and emotional and others were objective - like the excerpts from books and the questioning led by the White Commission. I thought this was great because the story seemed a lot more complete and thorough - at least when it came to understanding what had led to the tragic events of prom night.

Overall, a great read that took me by surprise. I don't think it's the scariest book I'll ever read - I think Shining was a lot more scary - but I couldn't help but feel that prom night was quite grim and disturbing ... I definitely need to check out more of Stephen King's books!

I haven't watched any of film adaptations of this book but I plan on watching the first one. I'm not entirely sure I want to see the latest since its reviews haven't exactly been the best ...

I give it 4 ou of 5 stars.