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patadelefante 's review for:
Rage
by Richard Bachman
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oscillating between a 2.5 and a 3; to me this seemed like a sinister retelling of 'Catcher In The Rye'. The writing was unpolished and had a staggering amount of typos, plus, it wasn't as gripping or horrifying as King's stories would be in the following years. Although, the final moments were pretty tense, and it managed to leave me with a good feeling (that is, despair).
An aspect prominent in his later writings that could already be seen here, however, is an ensemble cast consistent of tropey characters. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, it definitely reads like the author thought up a personality trait or kink and built a whole character off of that, with every single one. Since this is such a short novel with a fairly large cast, this comes off as an issue, making the characters fall flat.
I have to admit the book shines in how convincing the class' discourse can be. The themes of societal norms and violence are discussed against the backdrop of a school shooting that is both cause and effect. I appreciate King's habit of bringing debate to the novel thorugh children or teen characters. They are somehow more convincing; it's easier for us readers to take their message seriously...
An aspect prominent in his later writings that could already be seen here, however, is an ensemble cast consistent of tropey characters. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but in this case, it definitely reads like the author thought up a personality trait or kink and built a whole character off of that, with every single one. Since this is such a short novel with a fairly large cast, this comes off as an issue, making the characters fall flat.
I have to admit the book shines in how convincing the class' discourse can be. The themes of societal norms and violence are discussed against the backdrop of a school shooting that is both cause and effect. I appreciate King's habit of bringing debate to the novel thorugh children or teen characters. They are somehow more convincing; it's easier for us readers to take their message seriously...