A review by ubisunt
Thinner, by Stephen King, Richard Bachman

dark funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I enjoyed the book but in the end I feel like the ending was more or less what I expected, but without really emphasizing the horror of it.
Spoiler the fact that, in the end, his curse comes back on his daughter makes sense to a reader because we recognize it would be the worst outcome for him (it is indeed a horror book), but I love when that's foreshadowed throughout the book and builds up the dread. In this case I feel like it all came at the end, and we see the futility of his entire journey, but imo it doesn't emphasize the dread. <spoilers/>
Overall I did enjoy the book as a fun/interesting King horror novel, but it's not my favorite and I don't think I'll find myself thinking of it frequently in the time to come.

Also, though this may be clear from the description, the book casually uses a racial slur to refer to the Romani people. Reading it in 2023 I found it a little uncomfortable.
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