Title: Carrie
Author: Stephen King
Released: 1974
Rating: 5/5
Basic Plot: Carrie White may have been unfashionable and unpopular, but she had a gift. Carrie could make things move by concentrating on them. A candle would fall. A door would lock. This was her power and her sin. Then, an act of kindness, as spontaneous as the vicious taunts of her classmates, offered Carrie a chance to be normal and go to her senior prom. But another act--of ferocious cruelty--turned her gift into a weapon of horror and destruction that her classmates would never forget.
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Destruction of an Entire Town
I would like to say that the recent remake did the Prom Night Sequence justice but...the book was at a different level entirely. Book Carrie destroys an entire town. She shows no mercy for the most part and when she spares Sue, Carrie wonders why they all bullied her. It would be great to see a big movie version that showed just how destructive Carrie was. Because Book Carrie wasn't just getting back at bullies, she was trying to be a sword for God.
The Layout
I like the style of writing where you're made to think the events of the book are real. Throughout the book are various clips from books and newspaper articles that are supposed to show that the events in Carrie are real. There are a few points where transcriptions are shown. These are used to show that people still don't want to believe that a person like Carrie can exist. That the White Committee is all about covering up and not actually finding out the facts.
Behind the Words
Stephen King originally meant to have Carrie be a short story and then threw the story away. So we would have never been graced with this story if it hadn't been for King's wife Tabitha (who is also a writer) fishing the manuscript out of the trash and convincing him to complete it. This story was originally told to me by a long-time friend and I've told it myself numerous times. It's just amazing what a little push can do for someone's career.
Final Thoughts
This story is a classic for a reason. The anti-bullying message is needed today just as it was when it was first published. In this novel you are taken into Carrie's mind to see how she tries to fit in but never does. And when she realizes she can never fit in she snaps. She dies not having found a place in the world and that is heart breaking beyond words. I would recommend it for those looking for a good tragedy. How did I feel when Carrie got back at the bullies? Relief for her but the book was better at making me feel horror at her actions.
