A review by shaneent
Carrie by Stephen King

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This was my first time reading this classic horror novel. 
Having this story being so well-known in pop culture, being aware of the iconic image of Carrie standing in the street covered in blood, it was a pleasant surprise to find that experiencing the story for the first time wasn't ruined and that the threat of Prom Night looms over the town of Chamberlain from the start. The mix between traditional storytelling and epistolary snippets, jumping back and forth in time, built a different kind of tension and horror - not a "what is going to happen?" but a "how much longer until it happens and how bad is it truly going to be?".
The style was appropriately abrasive, having thoughts and psychic moments break into the flow of the story.
Characters, at times, felt overly exaggerated, but ultimately it worked with the high drama of the story.
Overall, Carrie lives up to expectations and is a good horror read.
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