Reviews with content warning for Gun violence - The Green Mile

FUCK.

What a read. What a story. What a goddamned soul dampening tale this is.
Upon finishing this book I have come to the conclusion that I am more a fan of Stephen King's less popular works- his "b-squad" books, if you will, than his "s-tier" books. I have a preference for Desperation, 'Salem's Lot and The Green Mile over things like Pet Sematary, The Stand and It. Though, I do fucking adore things like The Shining and Misery.

This book takes place from the point of view of an officer on death row- called the Green Mile for the hallway that leads to the electric chair which has distinctive green linoleum flooring- Paul Edgecombe. Paul is aged at the time of his reflection- 104 years old by his estimation. He is reflective upon a specific time period which is very tumultuous for his job, along with Brutal, Dean, Percy (fuucccccck) and Harry- his fellow officers.
This story follows Paul's day to day life and how he deals with his role of putting condemned men to death.
This carries on as normally as can such a job until he meets the special John Coffey (like the drink but spelled different).

John is on the Green Mile for the heinous crimes of the rape and murder of two young girls which he was literally caught red-handed holding their corpses.
Paul and his coworkers develop different relationships and dynamics with the prisoners on the Mile, which is a really interesting facet to see. It forms an interesting feeling within the reader because you are acutely aware that these characters are condemned to die for committing horrific acts, but, they are still written to be weirdly likable. It removes some of the vitriol that one would typically feel when reading about some monstrous people who kill for the sake of killing.

I think that these characters in this book may be some of my favorite characters in an of Kings works which I have read so far. Especially John Coffey, Paul and Brutal. They are just the best characters. John because he is such an endlessly tragic character- a man with such a good heart who just wants to help, but, is constantly met with hatred and derision and is ultimately put to death for a crime that he did not commit.
Paul is such a good narrator, as he doesn't shy away from the mistakes that he makes within his time, and doesn't stray away from showing the vulnerability that comes with the tragedy he endures.
Brutal is just a good guy- I constantly got a feeling of loyalty from him whenever he was on the page. He strikes me as the type of person who wants to do right even when he is in a precarious situation where morality is called in to question.

The villains in this book are so fucking good. William Wharton- a less than 20 year old sociopath with hyper-violent tendencies is able to wreak havoc mainly confined to his prison cell. He is the one who committed the horrible acts for which John is executed. I think that this villain being so fucking evil but restrained is such an interesting dichotomy- wherein he would truly be in league with the other great King villains if he was able to get out.
And then... there's fucking Percy. Percy might be one of the worst people I have read recently, and he is wonderfully written to be a cowardice little shitstain.
I fucking hated this guy from his introduction until his very satisfying end. He is one of those pieces of shit who will act in a very hateful and violent way because he is a little weeny. He is cruel and mean as can be, and I think that he might be one of the most blood boiling characters to fucking read about.
He kills Mr. Jingles and fucks up Del's ( another prisoner) execution which results in an absolutely horrific death, all because he is a sadistic coward.

John Coffey is special. He has the ability to heal, to revive, to extend life. I think that this reveal was so fucking well done and I have to commend King's restraint to have the reveal be a drip feed.
John heals Mr. Jingles after Percy's bitch-ass kills him, heals Paul's UTI and heals the warden's wife's brain tumor. He does all of this and is still put to death. I think that not only the fact that he was killed for someone else's crime, but because he had such an amazing gift and was still killed while people jeered at him and he died with so many people thinking him to be an abhorrent person is such a tragedy.
"I am sorry for what I am". Are the last words which John says.
It is such a terrible thing to read and I found myself constantly thinking that there would be some sort of deus ex machina to help him escape. Though, there never was.

I loved the subtext and the subtle meaning behind the story and how this potentially ties in to other works by King. I think that I am of the opinion that John has the Shine- he has a bit of telepathic powers in addition to his healing capabilities. I also wonder if he is a potential stand in for Christ. As he is sentenced to an unjust death and has the abilities to perform miracles? Thought this might be reading too far in to the character.

I thought that this book was not only tragic and tense, but it was also a wonderful story that was as enticing as it was sad.
I can highly recommend this story to anyone who is looking for a drama that has more layers than at first meets the eye.

Content Warnings