MISERY-STEPHEN KING
BLURB:
Paul Sheldon. He’s a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader – she is Paul’s nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.
5/5 STARS
Misery is an incredibly captivating read. Before Misery, my experience with Stephen King was only half-assed attempts at reading what I thought were ‘grown-up books’. Then, I became the type of person to argue that every book is okay for everyone, and ‘to know if one should read it, one must look inside oneself’. Be your own judge and all that jazz. So I decided to try to not be a total contradiction to myself, and dived into one of King’s universes.
Misery, as a starting point, was a reasonably easy choice for me. I had attempted both The Shining and It before (and I will get back to them eventually), but neither of them hooked me in entirely. I came across second hand editions of Misery and Pet Sematary at a book sale in Pauanui (coastal New Zealand town) and bought them on a whim. Upon taking them home, my brother told me that Misery is his favourite King novel, I trust his bookish opinions. And so, my mind was set.
Misery is about a man named Paul Sheldon who, at first, seems to be a bit of a tenacious, pretentious ass. Then Annie is introduced, who is an extremely obsessive Number One Fan. He is a writer (which I love), she is a psychopath (which I love). Together they have a world of fun, including playing drinking games 😉 ,writing a much loved novel 😉 😉 and enjoying thumb wars and barbecues 😉 😉 😉 (that’s weak I know, but I’m tryna not be spoiler-y)
Ultimately, it’s an entirely shitty situation for Paul. He came out of one accident before being thrown into a world full of hundreds more (one seemingly around every corner). But the way in which he thinks is incredibly wise; just as the way Annie thinks is incredibly mental. It almost worries me how real she became, and at the end of the novel I was truly scared for how it would all end.
One of the heavily underlined quotes that I must mention is nothing much to do with the actual storyline. It is simply ‘People who tell stories usually can’t write stories”. It resonated with me because though that is not always true (see: John Green), I can relate to it. As an aspiring writer, it’s good to know that my inability to speak actual words in actual english in the actual right sequence all the time, won’t necessarily affect my story writing skills. And for all the other terrible speakers out there, stay strong, we still have hope.
My last piece of advice is to not give up throughout the journey of this novel. Especially at the beginning. The first few pages were admittedly tough for me, but I swear soon enough you’ll be on the edge of your seat. Read it.