With the new Mike Flanagan show coming out, I wanted to finally read Carrie as its been on my read list since I started reading horror. This is a certified classic and whilst I have a couple of problems with it, I think this belongs in a collection of horror’s greatest stories.
Quick Info
- Title: Carrie
- Author: Stephen King
- Publish Date: 5th April 1974
- Genre: Horror
- Sub-Genre: Supernatural Horror
- Pages: 272
- What to Expect:
- Religious trauma
- Mixed media format
- Sad and tragic
– Rating: 4.5 stars –
Trigger Warnings (slight spoilers)
Bullying, blood, child abuse, religous abuse and extremism, sexual content, rape, racial slurs, miscarriage, racism, alcohol
If I have missed any out or you feel like something should be added, please leave a comment.
Synopsis
In the small town of Chamberlain, there is a girl called Carrie White. She has telekinetic powers and is about to let them free.
After an incident in the gym showers, a motion of events are set in place. Carrie – who is relentlessly bullied and ostracized – is asked to the prom by Tommy, the boyfriend of a popular girl, Sue, who takes pity on Carrie. But this will not end happily…not even slightly.
My Thoughts
There are spoilers ahead – although they are very famous plot points
Carrie White? Villain or victim?
A lot of my thoughts is going to be a little bit of a comparison to the 1976 film as this was what I watched first. Carrie is very different in the book – in a way I liked. The book does not hold back from descriptions of Carrie. She’s fat, pimply and a “frog among swans”, which whilst not been nice, is the reality for some teenagers. The bullying feels more authentic because appearances do mean a lot, especially in high school. Carrie does not simply become evil in a moment like she does in most iterations of herself. When the blood falls, she screams and causes lots of damage. In the book, she is forced to crawl her way, covered in blood. She then tries to get revenge but only lightly at first, choosing to set of the sprinklers, to ruin their outfits too. But when she sees a band member die, due to exposed wires, then her plan becomes more sinister. I love this development, instead of becoming passive and causing death, almost in a trance, she chooses to cause harm. She is meant to be a villain, she is the product of the harsh and horrible abuse and bullying she has faced. She’s a victim but also a villain and the book is way better at pulling this off.
Mixed Media Chapters
The one criticism I have always had of Carrie is the fact we never knew her backstory, aside from what we see. This is usually fine for most pieces of media, but Carrie’s story, her powers, her trauma greatly inform the plot. We see the pot that has been bubbling since she was a child, finally spill and thankfully the book explores this aspect of her story.
The way it’s done is great as well, mixing in research papers, articles and exerts of books, we gain so much insight and perspective on Carrie, her mother and her powers. All are written after the events which both build tension but also give information on how the story is perceived by other (I will talk on this in my next point).
The Abuse Never Stopped
Carrie’s story is surrounded by abuse, by her mother, her peers and even the “historians” who comment on her throughout the book. Her mother and peers obviously bullied her when she was alive, she faces that constantly, its the driving force behind her story. Until the end, when she becomes very powerful, then suddenly, everyone fears her. No one abuses her then, her mother tries but dies. Only after she dies do we see people start to abuse her again, expect now she is not around to defend herself. It’s a different kind of abuse though, it’s clinical and analytical, they want to understand Carrie on an almost biological level. Sue Snell in her biography tells us that the discourse only looks at Carrie as an object, and not as a human being, which was her mistake and what caused the events of prom night. I love this element of the story, it adds so many layers to what is often seen as a simplistic story. Abuse, dehumanization and tragedy do not come in one form.
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