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A review by richardrbecker
Holly by Stephen King
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Stephen King serves up another story that features killer old folks or elderly vampires — this time as cannibals instead of soul suckers, for better or worse. It's almost a shame the "campus cannibals" cross the path of Holly Gibney, making it my least favorite of her six appearances. I say it's almost a shame because I'm still a fan of this character but not a fan of the story so much.
Tightening the book could have helped, cutting out a few forced political infusions. I'm not talking about Holly's propensity to worry over COVID or COVID in general. Holly's take on COVID as an obsessive-compulsive of sorts makes sense, even if she doesn't always see her hypocrisy as a smoker.
What makes less sense (as a Native American) is the gratuitous random riff on a statue of a Native American outside of a store or hammering concern for Black people driving more than five miles over the speed limit. There are other instances when the author beats the drum loud enough to realize that it's King talking more than his characters, which disrupts the story. Maybe it would have been passable in passing, but King likes to pound these points like a bass drum from the whitest state in the country.
Otherwise, I didn't mind the COVID emphasis, given Holly's track record for being a hypochondriac. While Holly and King's views are the same (and don't entirely match mine), the author does present other characters with different points of view. More interesting to me are those points that didn't fit, including what almost comes across as King's anger toward his own mortality. Indeed, he doesn't care for the nutty and racist criminal couple (which makes sense). But he doesn't understand many other seniors in his story either — those trying to stay fit into older age or those that give up.
The only one who gets a pass is a near-centurion poet, content to rise out her remaining days by dispensing wisdom from a wheelchair. She is a great character, almost reminiscent of Mother Abigail, from a time when King was kinder to his peers.
Another shortcoming for the story, in my opinion, is the sheer stupidity of the antagonists. They call themselves out for committing crimes too close to home but carry them out too close to home repeatedly. This makes for a surprisingly thin case for Holly Gibney to solve, despite the danger she must face. But as King said, this novel was the product of seeing Holly's mother die of COVID, and everything else was an add-on.
All in all, even if this isn't a story I'd likely pick up for a second read (whereas all the others I would), I did enjoy reuniting with Holly for a spell. Gibney, next to Bill Hodges, has become one of my favorite characters King ever brought to life. And I do know so very many of them.
Tightening the book could have helped, cutting out a few forced political infusions. I'm not talking about Holly's propensity to worry over COVID or COVID in general. Holly's take on COVID as an obsessive-compulsive of sorts makes sense, even if she doesn't always see her hypocrisy as a smoker.
What makes less sense (as a Native American) is the gratuitous random riff on a statue of a Native American outside of a store or hammering concern for Black people driving more than five miles over the speed limit. There are other instances when the author beats the drum loud enough to realize that it's King talking more than his characters, which disrupts the story. Maybe it would have been passable in passing, but King likes to pound these points like a bass drum from the whitest state in the country.
Otherwise, I didn't mind the COVID emphasis, given Holly's track record for being a hypochondriac. While Holly and King's views are the same (and don't entirely match mine), the author does present other characters with different points of view. More interesting to me are those points that didn't fit, including what almost comes across as King's anger toward his own mortality. Indeed, he doesn't care for the nutty and racist criminal couple (which makes sense). But he doesn't understand many other seniors in his story either — those trying to stay fit into older age or those that give up.
The only one who gets a pass is a near-centurion poet, content to rise out her remaining days by dispensing wisdom from a wheelchair. She is a great character, almost reminiscent of Mother Abigail, from a time when King was kinder to his peers.
Another shortcoming for the story, in my opinion, is the sheer stupidity of the antagonists. They call themselves out for committing crimes too close to home but carry them out too close to home repeatedly. This makes for a surprisingly thin case for Holly Gibney to solve, despite the danger she must face. But as King said, this novel was the product of seeing Holly's mother die of COVID, and everything else was an add-on.
All in all, even if this isn't a story I'd likely pick up for a second read (whereas all the others I would), I did enjoy reuniting with Holly for a spell. Gibney, next to Bill Hodges, has become one of my favorite characters King ever brought to life. And I do know so very many of them.