Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

By georgelthomas on 3 Jan 2025 • ( 2 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing Stephen King’s Carrie.

Carrie was first published in 1974 by Doubleday and is 199 pages long.

The Plot
The story revolves around Carrie, a shy and awkward teen who finds she has developed telekinetic abilities. As she struggles to navigate the complexities of adolescence and deal with her abusive mother, Carrie becomes the target of relentless bullying from her classmates. When a cruel prank at prom pushes her over the edge, Carrie unleashes her abilities in a frightening show of vengeance.

Characters
Carrie White
Carrie, a shy, introverted and awkward teenager, discovers she has powerful telekinetic abilities. As she struggles to navigate high school bullying and abuse at home from her religiously fanatical mother, her powers begin to manifest in violent and destructive ways.

Sue Snell
Sue is a popular girl at school who feels guilty about participating in bullying Carrie. She tries to make amends by persuading her boyfriend, Tommy, to go to prom with Carrie. Her intentions are good, but things don’t go as planned.

Tommy Ross
Tommy, Sue’s handsome and popular boyfriend, takes Carrie to the prom as a favour to his girlfriend. He’s a genuinely good guy and is well-liked by everyone, including Carrie, who develops a crush on him.

Chris Hargensen
Chris is one of the story’s main antagonists and is a cruel and vindictive bully who takes pleasure in tormenting Carrie. She plots with her boyfriend, Billy, to humiliate Carrie at the prom by dumping a bucket of pig’s blood on her.

Margaret White
Margaret, Carrie’s mother, is the main antagonist of the book. She’s a devoutly religious woman who believes all forms of sin are evil. Margaret is physically and emotionally abusive towards her daughter and doesn’t allow her to have any social life at all.

Billy Nolan
Billy is Chris’s boyfriend. He is a violent and aggressive young man who helps Chris plot to humiliate Carrie at the prom and is ultimately responsible for rigging the bucket of pig’s blood that gets dumped on Carrie’s head.

Miss Desjardin
Miss Desjardin is Carrie’s gym teacher. She’s sympathetic towards Carrie and does her best to protect her from the other students. Miss Desjardin is one of the few adults in the book who genuinely cares about Carrie.

Writing Style
Stephen King is one of the most prolific writers in the world, and his writing style is on full display here in Carrie, where he masterfully weaves together elements of horror, coming-of-age and psychological thriller. On top of that, his unique way of writing vivid descriptions of the characters, settings, and events brings the story to life and makes it all the more terrifying.

The themes explored throughout the book are universal and timeless. From the dangers of unchecked power to the awful effects of bullying and the trauma it induces, King delves deep into the human psyche and forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths about our society and, perhaps, even ourselves.

In addition to its thematic depth and suspenseful storytelling, Carrie offers some poignant commentary on societal issues such as religion, adolescence, and mental health. In exploring these topics, King challenges readers to reevaluate how we treat people thought of as different or marginalized by society.

One of the most striking and compelling elements of Carrie is how well King captures the horrors of adolescence. The high school setting is a hotbed of jealousy, cruelty, and insecurity, and King portrays it with unnerving accuracy. The intense emotional turmoil that Carrie experiences is something that many readers can relate to (I know I can), making the story such a gripping read.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Carrie is an excellent horror story, but it is so much more than just that; it is a thought-provoking exploration of trauma, revenge, and redemption, helping show the effects that bullying can have on a person. It’s also a callout to anyone who has ever been the victim of bullying; it’s a big neon sign flashing, a beacon that says, “You’re not alone, and you are seen!”

If you love horror, you’ll love this.

I am giving Carrie a 9/10.

Have you read Carrie or watched the movie adaptations? Are you a Stephen King fan?

As always, thank you for stopping by to read my review.

Until next time,

George