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asourceoffiction's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is pacy, taut, emotional and brilliant. It's hard to read Carrie for the first time now, without knowing a lot of the story in advance. But there was actually plenty that was new to me. I loved how the narrative was interspersed with excerpts from articles and interviews from after the 'Carrie White Affair'. It builds the tension for what you know is going to happen on prom night, by drip feeding snippets of the event but leaving the specifics to be discovered later. This, and the frequent interruptions to the story for characters' uncontrolled streams of consciousness, give the whole story a chilling atmosphere from the first page.
It's also emotionally devastating. Not only the horrific abuse Carrie suffers at the hands of her mother, but the awful way she is treated by her peers. And despite this, you can see genuine remorse and kindness in Sue and Tommy's actions, which makes it all the more heartbreaking to know from the outset that everything is driving towards the inevitable, horrifying conclusion.
It's also emotionally devastating. Not only the horrific abuse Carrie suffers at the hands of her mother, but the awful way she is treated by her peers. And despite this, you can see genuine remorse and kindness in Sue and Tommy's actions, which makes it all the more heartbreaking to know from the outset that everything is driving towards the inevitable, horrifying conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Murder, Torture, and Violence
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