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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts
dark
emotional
sad
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ok, so I'm actually not sure whether or not I liked it. As always, I read this book because of the people who said they hated it. I also read it because I read somewhere that SK had it removed from publication. Which I totally understand...
So let me get to it. I get why so many people hated the book. It's about a school shooting. Nobody likes a school shooting. And we defiantly don't want to go about giving impressionable young teens/adults the wrong kind of ideas. Also, Charlie isn't your most likeable character. But, i guess it's exactly what SK was trying to achieve? From what I know (and this is only from articles and TV shows, we have lots of problems here in South Africa, but school shootings ain't one of them) school shooters aren't always the most likeable people. Often a little weird, perhaps even a social outcast to a certain extent. So Stephen King definitely achieved that much, as far as character "build up" is concerned.
Then I also think that this book is way more than a story of a guy who decided fuck society, I'm going to kill someone today. I see it as being symbolic of the way society treats certain kinds of people. And how these people, will, eventually, just have enough.
Anyway, it is what it is. I won't rate this more than a three, because it's not outstanding. It would be a lie. However, if you sit and think about it. There are layers to unfold and study.
"That's the end. I have to turn off the light now. Good night."
So let me get to it. I get why so many people hated the book. It's about a school shooting. Nobody likes a school shooting. And we defiantly don't want to go about giving impressionable young teens/adults the wrong kind of ideas. Also, Charlie isn't your most likeable character. But, i guess it's exactly what SK was trying to achieve? From what I know (and this is only from articles and TV shows, we have lots of problems here in South Africa, but school shootings ain't one of them) school shooters aren't always the most likeable people. Often a little weird, perhaps even a social outcast to a certain extent. So Stephen King definitely achieved that much, as far as character "build up" is concerned.
Then I also think that this book is way more than a story of a guy who decided fuck society, I'm going to kill someone today. I see it as being symbolic of the way society treats certain kinds of people. And how these people, will, eventually, just have enough.
Anyway, it is what it is. I won't rate this more than a three, because it's not outstanding. It would be a lie. However, if you sit and think about it. There are layers to unfold and study.
"That's the end. I have to turn off the light now. Good night."
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Part of my Great Stephen King Reread. I'm glad to say goodbye to this one for the last time.
King has taken this book (published under the pen name Richard Bachman) out of print. It's about a teenager who brings a gun to school, kills two teachers, takes a classroom full of kids hostage, and proceeds to lead them in a sort of group encounter session. Putting aside the argument that such a book could inspire real life violence (there are reports that it has), this is just a bad book.
It's very readable, as most of King's work is, but the plot rests on some very hokey psycho-babble. I don't buy the motivations of any of the kids. Not Charlie. Not Ted. Not the hostage kids. It just doesn't hang together. There are some very vivid scenes, but they mostly occur in flashbacks told by Charlie and some of the other kids, and aren't part of the school shooting plot.
I'm not one of those people who believe that fictional narratives cause people to commit real life violence, but I can see how an impressionable kid could get hold of this book and get some very bad ideas. Or have preexisting bad ideas reinforced. Such is the power of even BAD Stephen King, which this is, that I would worry about its influence. I'm sure King had the right idea in taking it off the shelves.
King has taken this book (published under the pen name Richard Bachman) out of print. It's about a teenager who brings a gun to school, kills two teachers, takes a classroom full of kids hostage, and proceeds to lead them in a sort of group encounter session. Putting aside the argument that such a book could inspire real life violence (there are reports that it has), this is just a bad book.
It's very readable, as most of King's work is, but the plot rests on some very hokey psycho-babble. I don't buy the motivations of any of the kids. Not Charlie. Not Ted. Not the hostage kids. It just doesn't hang together. There are some very vivid scenes, but they mostly occur in flashbacks told by Charlie and some of the other kids, and aren't part of the school shooting plot.
I'm not one of those people who believe that fictional narratives cause people to commit real life violence, but I can see how an impressionable kid could get hold of this book and get some very bad ideas. Or have preexisting bad ideas reinforced. Such is the power of even BAD Stephen King, which this is, that I would worry about its influence. I'm sure King had the right idea in taking it off the shelves.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Torture
Minor: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“It occurred to me that the man I really wanted to hurt was safely out of my reach, standing behind a shield of years.”