Stephen King’s classic novel, Carrie, turns 50 this year and that is indeed a reason to celebrate.
I must admit I avoided reading Stephen King for a long time. In fact, I seldom read horror fiction at all prior to moving to Colorado in 1987. I love horror movies, but for a long time it never occurred to me to read a horror novel. Besides which, in my teens and early 20s I was firmly immersed in fantasy and science fiction—of which there are thousands upon thousands of amazing books—and only on rare occasions did I stray from those genres. When I did finally start reading horror I still didn’t read Stephen King. In my youthful arrogance I assumed anyone who took up that much space on the checkout newsstands at my local grocery store, and who appeared on The New York Times Best Seller List practically every week, must be cranking out derivative prose aimed at the masses. Thus, his books couldn’t possibly be any good. I could not have been more wrong!
In my youth, whenever I traveled I seldom took books with me (unlike these days where I tend to bring three or four at least). Back then, one of my favorite things to do at the start of a vacation was to pick up a book at the airport or, better yet, steal one from a friend’s or family member’s bookcase. On one of those early trips, I stumbled upon a dog eared paperback copy of The Tommyknockers. I considered for a moment and decided that maybe I should give Mr. King a try. Surely, one of my better decisions. I was absolutely blown away by that book, and it’s not even one of his best. But, as I’ve come to understand, even his lesser novels are far better than almost anything else out there. When I returned home from my vacation I dedicated myself to reading all of Mr. King’s books, starting with his first published novel, Carrie.
I had seen the original film version of Carrie, starring Sissy Spacek, years before at my local home-town cinema but, as is often the case, the book was so much better than the movie. It is a chilling tale of supernatural horror that delves deep into the psyche of its titular character and explores the darker aspects of human nature. It is a bit of an understatement to say Mr. King is a masterful writer, certainly one of the best of his generation. The book draws you into the bleak, tortured world of Carrie White, a shy, bullied teenager with telekinetic abilities. As Carrie’s powers awaken, so too does her rage, leading to a catastrophic blood-soaked prom night. She unleashes chaos and destruction on the small Maine town where she lives, and ultimately must confront her fanatically religious mother who believes Carrie is possessed by the devil. King expertly weaves together themes of adolescence, religion, and the consequences of cruelty, to create a narrative that is both horrific and profoundly human.
Mr. King famously tossed Carrie, still a work in progress, into the trash, convinced the book would never succeed. Fortunately for all of us, his wife, Tabitha, pulled it out again, read what her husband had put down on paper, and convinced him to continue writing. Thank goodness she did. Without Carrie, Mr. King might never even have tried to write another book, and that would have been an epic tragedy.
After all this time, I still can’t say I’ve read all of Stephen King’s books, but I’ve read quite a few. Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Shining, The Stand, The Green Mile, and The Outsider, as well as his short story collections, Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, and If It Bleeds are among my favorites, along with his non-fiction books, On Writing and Danse Macabre (must reads for anyone contemplating a career writing speculative fiction). Honestly, anything written by Stephen King is worthy reading.
Happy Anniversary, Carrie. Thanks for terrorizing us for all these years. You will always be our favorite prom queen.