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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
2 stars
Rage is Stephen King's first work under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. I didn't really know what to expect from this. Mostly I was curious because I know of this book's problematic past. If you are unaware, this book is currently out of print at King's request because it may have incited violent behaviour similar to that seen in the story. This book follows a school shooting/occupation by Charlie Decker.
Honestly, for most of this I was just bored. Although usually I am a character-driven reader, I just could not sympathize or appreciate Charlie. He was problematic and the narrative is written in a way that the reader is encouraged to sympathize with him. Bachman/King gives this sense of him being a victim, don't get me wrong, he kind of is (what with his traumatic childhood), but I just can't get past the vibe that he is right for shooting up a school!
I guess the theme that was supposed to be portrayed here was that we are what our backgrounds make us. I think that this theme can be done much differently/better. Again, Decker was an issue. The problem with the classmates was that they weren't compelling. Since a lot of the novel is spent exploring the dynamics/backgrounds of these people, not being invested in them really hindered my like of this novel.
The best way I can describe Rage is "problematic + meh". Not my cup of tea. It made me feel uncomfortable. When I started reading it, I wanted to see why it caused an uproar. Now I understand.
Rage is Stephen King's first work under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. I didn't really know what to expect from this. Mostly I was curious because I know of this book's problematic past. If you are unaware, this book is currently out of print at King's request because it may have incited violent behaviour similar to that seen in the story. This book follows a school shooting/occupation by Charlie Decker.
Honestly, for most of this I was just bored. Although usually I am a character-driven reader, I just could not sympathize or appreciate Charlie. He was problematic and the narrative is written in a way that the reader is encouraged to sympathize with him. Bachman/King gives this sense of him being a victim, don't get me wrong, he kind of is (what with his traumatic childhood), but I just can't get past the vibe that he is right for shooting up a school!
I guess the theme that was supposed to be portrayed here was that we are what our backgrounds make us. I think that this theme can be done much differently/better. Again, Decker was an issue. The problem with the classmates was that they weren't compelling. Since a lot of the novel is spent exploring the dynamics/backgrounds of these people, not being invested in them really hindered my like of this novel.
The best way I can describe Rage is "problematic + meh". Not my cup of tea. It made me feel uncomfortable. When I started reading it, I wanted to see why it caused an uproar. Now I understand.
I actually really liked this but can understand why King decided to stop printing it. I thought the way the story was narrated was very interested and it kept me really engrossed.
Καλό...αλλά όχι κάτι ιδιαίτερο......
Διαβάζεται πολύ εύκολα κάτι στο οποίο βοηθάει και η πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση αλλά και τα μικρά κεφάλαια αλλά παρόλα αυτά...ντάξει....δεν με ενθουσίασε.....ούτε κρύο, ούτε ζέστη.....
Διαβάζεται πολύ εύκολα κάτι στο οποίο βοηθάει και η πρωτοπρόσωπη αφήγηση αλλά και τα μικρά κεφάλαια αλλά παρόλα αυτά...ντάξει....δεν με ενθουσίασε.....ούτε κρύο, ούτε ζέστη.....
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings
If you can get your hands on a copy of it, do so. It's a terrifying book but definitely one of my favourites. King has a way of creating an internal dialogue within his characters that force an empathy with the reader.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This definitely *feels* like a book originally written by an eighteen year old, but I was surprised by its depth. It's strange to me that people can complain that it's boring or dated, because it feels genuinely of its time. Yeah, teenagers have weird sexual politics and traumas that they often hide from themselves and others. These people at the verge of adulthood come together, forced to evaluate themselves from a kid who deeply disturbed, someone who doesn't understand himself, someone desperate to be seen. Maybe I s9ound nuts because I'm ostensibly sympathizing with a fictional school shooter, but... Charlie only kills and lashes out directly at figures of authority. Are they innocent, arguably yes. Charlie is still a *bad person,* but he is a fascinating character. It's a blood-soaked treatise written by a King who was a teenager in a particularly oppressive version of America. Anyone who claims the books causes school shootings missed the point; if a school shooter claimed the same thing, they'd also have missed the point.
Out of print book that the author himself has said he will never have printed again. A disturbed student takes fellow students hostage and kills teachers. He tells stories that help you see why he is the way he his and other students open up and tell some of their stories too. His tormentor is then tortured by the other students and ends up in a mental hospital while the murderer isn’t charged by way of insanity. The story was disturbing but not really the authors best work. Meh
This is like if someone in The Breakfast Club had a gun and was forcing the others to be there.
A good read, but difficult in the light of America today. King took it out of print in response to high school shootings twenty years ago - I dread to think how many more would have been propagated if this was still on shelves.