Scott Reads It!

Seen at City of Books I have been avoiding writing a review for Carrie for four days or so. It is really hard to write a review a book that you really wanted to enjoy and had really high expectations for. Carrie was one of those books that I wanted to read for a while now and so I had to finally pick it up from the library. To say Carrie was disappointing is merely an understatement. Carrie is one of the most popular horror stories of all time and so most people have seen the 1970's film or have read this classic novel. Anyway Carrie White is the daughter of a religious fanatic who discovers she has telekinetic powers and use her powers to get revenge on her classmates who turned her into the social pariah. Of course Carrie's tormenting leads to the notorious bloody Prom scene which is one of the most well known horror movie scenes ever. I really liked the premise of Carrie but I feel like it wasn't executed well. I really didn't like how the perspective kept switching from Carrie to interviews and reports on the events of prom. It was kind of ridiculous to read the same event from different perspectives multiple times. I don't really need to hear about Carrie's stint at prom from the police, Carrie, and Susan. The fact that it kept switching perspectives really slowed down the pace of the story and didn't add anything essential to the plot at all. I would have much preferred if it was just told from Carrie's POV because it would have been more deep and emotional. Carrie also lacks realistic elements to the point where the entire story is unbelievable. Carrie is a High School senior yet she doesn't even know what sex or menstruation is. What High School student doesn't know about reproduction? Isn't Health a required class in High School? I know that Carrie isn't exactly a normal teen but still I don't believe her lack of knowledge about "The Circle Of Life" for a second. Another thing is why doesn't care report her religious fanatical mother for being abusive? Her mother's extreme religious creed came to the point where it was extremely abusive and Carrie doesn't do anything to stop her. I really think the whole entire Prom could have been avoided if Carrie told someone about her abusive mom and her classmates who bullied her. Telling an authoritative figure could definitely have helped Carrie's situation yet she didn't. Another thing about Carrie that bothered me was that King didn't personify Carrie at all. Carrie didn't really have a personality at all because King made it seem like her telekinesis, and damaged self was all Carrie was. Carrie was not just her mental illness caused by her mother and classmates and she certainly wasn't just someone who could practice TK. We never really got to know who Carrie was as a person because King was too busy trying to make us emphasize with her remorseful story. Carrie just felt like a character who was as flat and one dimensional as a piece of cardboard even her dialogue was ridiculously unbelievable. Despite the fact that the switching of perspective and believability of Carrie was questionable, I did enjoy Carrie. I certainly had sky high expectations for Stephen King's debuts and that really made me enjoy Carrie less than I could have. I really think that if Carrie wasn't so hyped, I wouldn't have been as disappointed and Carrie could have been 3 stars. Carrie was an interesting and entertaining read that I haven't stopped thinking about it even though I wasn't a huge fan of the book. Another thing that I noticed that I failed to mention earlier is that the novel feels extremely dated. I am not sure where I should see the movie or not considering how mixed I felt about the book. I know that this won't be my last Stephen King book because I have faith that I will enjoy his other books more.