Reviews with content warning for Forced institutionalization - Misery

i was a little confused about the ending, still am: but the meat of the book was very good. extremely gory, hard to read at times (although you dont want to put it down), and i felt it came to be a little too caricature-y about annie. she became a sort of supervillain, took me out of the immersive reading experience. i wish she would've stayed just an insane woman. there were a few instances where i felt the scene / situation could've been tweaked to add more suspense + better pacing, but overall very well written and kept my attention.

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brighid's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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zakcebulski's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Stephen did it again! Partially so.
So, full disclosure, I read this book when I was in 7th grade- and, I don't know if I truly understood this book at the time. Upon this re-read it was apparent how truly horrifying it is.
Starting off, the plot is a setup that I am a sucker for- a limited main cast in a single area- it is so good! This is such a simple setup, but it is one that is immensely tough to do well- and King does it well.
Paul Sheldon is a famous author of the titular Misery series, and he is in a violent car accident in Colorado, soon after the controversial decision was published wherein he killed Misery Chastain- the namesake of the book series for which he is the author.

After this car accident he is rescued by his number one fan- Annie Wilkes. Annie is... an amazing villain- full stop. I did not like her, but, as a character, she cannot be denied as one of the great horror villains. She gives off the vibe that she has a good amount of the Midwest niceness, and comes off as bumbling and aloof throughout. She even reprimands Paul for cursing well in to her decline into a psychotic break. I think that this veneer that she has on is such an interesting part of her character because when she does let it down and lash out at Paul (which she does often and physically). Her presence creates a feeling of uncomfortability, which, if you have ever spent time around someone who is mentally, emotionally or verbally abusive (I would not recommend it), you know this feeling. It made me very uncomfortable to read many interactions, because I know what it is like to feel like you are constantly walking on eggshells around someone.
I think that this is such a great way to have the villain portrayed, as we have the opportunity to read in to them and learn more of them by their actions. Throughout the book I felt that Annie had more going on behind closed doors, and this I absolutely the case- she is extremely cunning, sinister and calculating. This comes to be seen when she tells Paul that she knows he previously left the bedroom by use of taped hair, and when she kills a police officer (which she gaslights Paul by saying he made her do it) by running him over with a lawnmower? But, she is saying phrases like "dirty bird!" throughout? It is a very interesting dichotomy.
She is revealed to be a serial killer (Angel of Death type- a nurse who kills patients). One of the more disturbing points was where Paul is reading a book and finds obituaries of people she has killed- and one was named "Girl Christopher" which I didn't immediately understand. When it clicked, I got a shiver- as it meant that Annie had committed infanticide with infants young enough to not have a given name. Absolutely sickening stuff.
I liked that there is this air of supernatural to Annie, which is continued on even after she is thought to die- where the police go in to the room and she is not there- very Michael Myers-esque.

Here is my biggest sticking point, and one of 2 reasons why I feel like I can't give this book a 5/5.
Paul is a good character- but, I don't think that he is one that will go down in the ages as an amazing character that King has written. To me, he is a character that shares a book with the plot, and with Annie. I thought he did fine to go throughout the story while going toe-to-toe with Annie in an intellectual sense (and physical at points), but, I was never really blown away by him. I came to the conclusion that he was a person to root for because he was against Annie, not, because he was a totally amazing character. I think that this is one of my biggest points where I was how he is just ok I didn't feel the desire to know more about him, I was fine knowing he is a writer and that's pretty much it, which is a little disappointing, but, oh well!

I think that this book is scary for a few reasons, though the word that I think fits much better to describe this book is tense. This book is incredibly tense throughout. There are more than a few scenes where Paul is sneaking out of his bedroom without Annie knowing (though it is revealed she knows near immediately), and I found myself white knuckled saying "Paul, stop looking at shit and get back to the fucking room!". When Annie goes through her mood ups and downs, that was very reminiscent of a family member (lol not kidding help lol), I was constantly on baited breath to see which direction this discussion went. Was Annie going to storm away? Or was Paul going to get fucked up with a switch punch or something? In the last 120 pages of this book, I could not stop reading. I thought that the pacing gradually ramped up so well, and really sucked me in to the point where I needed to finish it. I really appreciate how King sets up the first visit with a police officer, and how it ends in their murder after Paul alerts him to his presence, and when a pair of officers come by to investigate, they are feet away from Paul, but he remains completely silent. This is such a well crafted feeling of tension, because we saw what happened last time that if he alerts the police, Annie will kill the both, Paul and then herself. It is such a hopeless scene that I was enthralled in.

Now, I could not discuss this book without discussing how absolutely disgusting this book is. Now, when you read Stephen King, you should know that there is a high chance he is going to write something fucking disgusting- and Misery is not an exception.
There are instances of a rat being squished to death, a police officer is described to have his arm and head run over with a lawnmower, Paul's thumb is cut off by an electric knife thanks to Annie (who uses it as a candle on a birthday cake like what the fuck?). And, most infamously, she cuts his fucking foot off with a goddamned axe. Now, I read a lot of true crime, I listen to even more true crime stuff, but, the description of Paul getting his foot amputated via the Lumberjack special absolutely made my stomach church. When Paul describes Annie taking his foot away when his toes are spasming, or when King describes the axe swings connecting with his leg? Good fucking god.

I have to be honest- I absolutely how Paul said he was going to "rape" Annie with the pages of the book while killing her. I just thought that was such a fucking terrible part of the book. It just rubbed me all the wrong way, and seemed really out of nowhere- not that if it came from a different place it would be better. I didn't like this part, either.

When Annie died, I was not cheering, as I think was the expected response. Instead, I felt tired, I felt exhausted, as though I had made this trip with Paul. I think that to me, while Kurt Barlow is my favorite villain King has created, I think that Annie is a better villain. I think that she is the driving force behind Misery to the point with a lesser, or worse written character, the book would not have been as strong.
I am still excited to read more King in the future!

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