When Horror Feels Real

A Review Essay of Carrie by Stephen King

‘It was reliably reported by several persons that a rain of stones fell from a clear blue sky on Carlin Street in the town of Chamberlain on August 17th.’

Do you like to write horror? Are you drawn to dark themes and human suffering? Have you tried to use a report-style narrative to write your story? If yes, you will enjoy reading my review of Carrie by Stephen King.

If you didn’t know, this is Stephen King’s debut novel, and the one that made him famous. He wrote it in 1974, and I always wanted to read it to find the “formula” of his success. I have to say that I found it. It is in his unique style and voice, especially when it was released, where people weren’t used to reading a story written like this.

Let me break it down. Carrie is written in a series of police reports, fictional book quotations, questionnaires, and events narrated by multiple POVs. This mix raises the believability of the novel to the roof; it feels like a newspaper report mixed with an exclusive interview with the characters. Look at these examples:

‘Mrs. White could not be reached for comment.’

‘From The Shadow Exploded: Documented Facts and Specific Conclusions Derived from the Case of Carietta White, by David R. Congress (Tulane University Press: 1981), p. 34:’

‘Found written repeatedly on one page of a Ewen Consolidated High School notebook owned by Carrie White: *1 Everybody’s guessed/that baby can’t be blessed/’til she finally sees that she’s like all the rest.’

See how these examples imply that this story was documented, and these serve as evidence. King paid so much attention to detail, names, reports and dates that you start to believe it actually happened. His realistic approach made his novel sound so real that the reader becomes a part of that world. However, let me tell you that this style is very hard to pull off because as realistic as it sounds, it breaks the reader’s immersion in the story. We no longer connect with the characters, but with the plot itself. We are not emotionally invested in her because this style creates a distance between the character and the reader.

Nevertheless, King actually did something brilliant to overcome this problem. He let us access the internal thoughts of his characters, making us feel the struggles they are experiencing. Take this example: ‘She lay (i am not afraid not afraid of her) on her bed with an arm thrown over her eyes.’ King uses brackets to indicate internal thoughts, which is unlike the traditional use of italics. I think he chose this because most of these thoughts interrupt actions or exist in the middle of a sentence. It shows us the disturbed mind of his protagonist (Carrie) and her mental health issues.

Carrie is telekinetic and she knows it. The horror element in this story is not just blood and gore. It leans more towards psychological horror of an abused teenager in a cruel world. This is what makes his novel amazing; it is King’s ability to make us sympathise with Carrie but still hate what she had done. We get to inhabit her unwell thoughts and feel what she was feeling. I believe this is the key to great storytelling. It is when you manage to make the reader have this internal debate about your characters. To love them, hate them, cry with them. This is what makes fiction turn into reality.

However, there was one scene that didn’t feel believable (spoiler alert: if you don’t want spoilers, skip this paragraph). It was either because King didn’t know how to write it as he wasn’t as experienced or because he intended to write it like that to show the ugly side of people. It is when Carrie was drenched in pig blood, and the school (including the teachers) started laughing at her. This felt unrealistic, because I think the first reaction would be shouting, anger, disgust, confusion, not laughter. King tried to explain their reaction in this paragraph: ‘And so there was nothing else to do. It was either laugh or cry, and who could bring himself to cry over Carrie after all those years? She just sat there, staring out at them, and the laughter kept swelling, getting louder and louder. People were holding their bellies and doubling up and pointing at her.’ This was the only time when I felt like the story drifted from its realistic narrative. The natural reaction of these kids should have been horrified by the blood and the smell, laughing should be the last thing on their mind. This was a turning point for Carrie and I think it should have been written differently.

Another interesting aspect of his novel is the ending. I have to say that King managed to write the perfect ending for this story. Not because the events align, but because the emotional core felt intact and real. Carrie’s final emotional struggle was earned and understandable. She didn’t triumph over her enemies and walk away healed like many contemporary revenge stories. Her end was quiet and suited her age. I will not spoil the ending for those who want to read it. However, let me just say that this ending surpassed the ending of Carrie the movie.

Let me give a very important piece of advice. The beginning and end are the most important parts of your story. Looking at this novel, the first scene in the showers and the last scene are what really stuck in my mind. They were so memorable that whenever a school shower is mentioned, I will always remember this scene. You, as a writer, should try to do the same; to leave an imprint on the reader after they have read your story. I always advise writers to spend more time on the first and last chapters; try to revise them the most; they are what the reader will remember after finishing your book.

Therefore, should you read Carrie? Is it worth your time? I say it is, if you enjoy reading a style that is a mix of report and narrative; if you like horror that focuses on the ugly side of human nature; if you want to expand your knowledge about a famous writer and know where he started. Then, this novel is for you.

My rating for Carrie is: 4 Stars.

P.S: Did you know that King used to have a nail on his wall where he hung all the rejection letters from magazines? One time, it fell from the weight of those papers. Do you know what he did? He got a bigger nail.

Check out my previous review, where I talk about grimdark narrative through the novella An Inkling of Flame: