Stephen King Bookclub # 1: Carrie

Wednesday is about books, and reading. And writing. Today, the first in a new occasional series: “Stephen King Bookclub”. A chance to go (back) through the books…starting today at the start!

I’ve been thinking, for a while, that it would be nice to go back through some of the Stephen King books, and share some thoughts, even do a re-read. And, me being me, I decided why just do a random post now and then when I can give myself homework for eternity! Enter: The Stephen King Bookclub. This first ‘meeting’ of the club coincided with the gorgeous new 50th Anniversary edition of King’s debut novel, Carrie.

I pre-ordered a copy of this at the start of the year, and when it arrived late last week, like a bonus dopamine hit, I promptly added it to my collection. Because it turns out you can never have enough Carries!

Carrie was Stephen King’s first published novel, famously he started it — in an earnest attempt to earn the family some money. He’d been publishing short stories in men’s magazines and the idea for Carrie came from two girls King had known at high school. He stopped short and tossed it in the bin, after only a few pages, feeling he didn’t have the right to tell that story, or that he was inauthentic using that voice. Or some combination of the two. His wife, Tabitha, also a budding novelist at that time, took the pages from the bin, smoothed them, read them and reassured her husband that he was truly onto something; that he had a voice down that worked and should follow this muse.

The rest, as they say…

Well, really, it was the 1976 film of Carrie that solidified King as both author and future and ongoing film storyline prospect:

But Carrie (the book) was released in April of 1974. And it sold solidly enough for there to be interest in a movie. The Brian de Palma horror becoming an influential classic — its final jump-cut moment to end the film, its split-screen carnage, its exploration of the prom as setting/scene and emotional/spiritual build-up. King made about $2500 selling the film rights, and then took in something like $400,000 from paperback book sales (getting a share of that rather than the whole thing of course). From there he was able to publish the other books we’ll get to in this club bit by bit. And several more movies were made. And are still being made. But the first three novels hit it out of the park, as books and films; the King Dominion was created.

I first read Carrie in 1990. It was the third King book I read (Pet Sematary and then It were the first two). And I read them as quickly as I could. The first two in only as many weeks. Carrie in a couple of days. And then straight to the movie.

I loved Carrie — but strangely that was it. I never re-read it. Though I watched the movie a bunch. I even watched the completely deranged, unconnected sequel (The Rage: Carrie 2 from 1999) and eventually the 2002 TV movie adaptation and the 2013 re-tell. Really, it’s only the 1976 original film that means anything to me.

My original edition of Carrie — as in the book I owned and read — was published in 1983. But I didn’t know that at the time. It was just one of the many great King books I bought and devoured, with those wonderful hand-painted covers. I’ve since found the exact edition again — part of the kickstart to my collecting.

Maybe, now, with the 50th Anniversary edition, I have enough copies of Carrie? You’ll see here I have not one, not two, but three different bind-ups. Two different editions of the Carrie/Salem’s Lot/The Shining trilogy, aka his first three published novels. And then one that is The Shining and Carrie paired with Misery. I imagine this one was released on the back of the Misery film perhaps, and wanted to make a link between all three books being successful movies, and, a bit more tenuously, all featuring some version of a person plagued by madness, who then goes on to enact that madness in rage upon others…?

Anyway, even more weird, and I don’t know the connection at all, I also have a bind-up of Carrie and The Tommyknockers. And though I’ve seen the New Zealand-filmed Tommyknockers movie, it’ll be this Bookclub that might force me to finally read it…I guess the connection here is both play with the supernatural to some degree?

But the brand spanking new 50th Anniversary edition is the one that finally sparked a re-read. I was nervous going in. Would a book from 1974, that I last read in 1990, that has also been plot-spoiled to infinity and beyond via several different movie versions and even stories of a deluded stage musical, stand up at all? Could it be any good? What about King’s slightly creepy way of writing (constantly) about breasts?

I decided I had to at least read the intro, and the Margaret Atwood foreword. And both did not disappoint. King’s intro is actually from a 1999 edition, but it was new to me. There’s a very moving dedication to the women that inspired the book. And Atwood’s foreword felt like some major clout. I would read The Handmaid’s Tale shortly after reading Carrie — it’s a book I am also keen to re-read but feel it might have been overshadowed by first its movie adaptation, and now the TV series.

It was nice to read Atwood as being a King fan. Giving kudos for many things — his ability to imbibe a character with instant back-story and motivation, the worlds he creates and commits to, the way he makes local, unremarkable settings so poignant — but also just calling out that he’s a hugely read, hugely loved, bestselling author. And that’s not nothing. Ivory tower be damned.

Next thing, I decided to plunge all the way in. Again, I read Carrie in pretty much two sittings. It’s a short novel. And the new edition has a beckoning font, and smart, simple design. It made a tough little interior novel charming and enticing.

I love Carrie. The telekinesis might seem a bit hokey now, but I read it as a conduit for channeling the rage of adolescence. In a way Carrie is the feminine version of the Bachman book, Rage. (We’ll, ah, get to that one…)

It was also a new thing back then — in terms of plot device. Again, the movie’s exploration of it in particular, set it up as a ‘thing’ for modern use, and it clearly was the start of something for King, his books The Shining and Firestarter, which arrived swiftly in the wake of Carrie’s success definitely expound further on the basic idea.

Carrie is all at once a revenge tale, and a deep treatise on bullying. It’s a sad book. It’s about a character pushed to absolute breaking point. And maybe I read it with even more of a worry in my heard on this round, given I’m about to be a parent to a teen? And is there a more unlikeable mother character than Margaret White? Played so brilliantly by Piper Laurie in the original film, and at the least admirably and with wise casting by Patricia Clarkson in the 2002 attempt, and Julianne Moore in the 2013 debacle, Margaret is a fucking monster.

The pages breezed by as I was reminded of Carrie’s.sad story, and of how King writes so brilliantly about the confusion of adolescence (relative to 1974 at least, of course it’s dated, that’s literally what happens in the passing of time; things date, slang is outmoded, style changes). The characters are interesting, flawed, funny (at times) and tragic. The way the narrative is constructed is inventive, and less challenging than I remembered (which makes sense, big difference reading it at 47, vs. reading it at 13).

I returned, after, to my favourite King podcast, and re-listened to their episode dedicated to Carrie. It covers the book, the aborted musical, and all of the film versions. And is a cracking-good listen. It’s the first of an ongoing podcast Bookclub — they’re up to his mid-00s books now, and I’ve mostly kept up with it. And will definitely be diving back to revisit book episodes as I carry on with other King books following Carrie.

I didn’t watch the film again, but that’s only because I have seen it a lot, including recently. (Part of why I hadn’t felt the need to dive back into the book). But I like how they differ. And the most admirable thing about the 2002 version of the film — until it jumps the shark by inventing an insane ending, but that’s because it was basically trying to set up a TV series to follow — is the way it attempts to stick to the book more closely. But sometimes you have to let books and films tell the same story differently. They are, after all, different mediums.

One thing I am forever doing though, is listening to the score from the original movie. Pino Donaggio is one of my favourite film composers, and I own the score to Carrie on both vinyl and CD. (Huge nerd alert). Just the single copies of each. At this stage…

The film’s music is treacly, and so overly sincere as to maybe seem cloying. This is a wheelhouse I get right in and just spin-baby-spin! This is me. So, warning. It might not — at all — be you.

I’ve now shelved my new copy of Carrie along with the five other versions. And yes, I’m still looking for one more edition. Maybe two. I’d love a hardback original, near impossible to find I imagine, and unlikely to afford on my wages. And/or I’d love an original movie tie-in/first paperback. Again, unlikely. But what’s collecting without Holy Grails, right?

Anyway, I loved re-reading Carrie. I didn’t find it awkward, or creepy, beyond a bit of wincing once again at the term “dirtypillows” but not in a prude way, just, as my son would say, “cringe!” I remember thinking that ( cringe ) at the time.

So, happy 50th Carrie. And burn baby burn!

Have you read Carrie? Did you love it, did you hate it, would you rate it?

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I haven’t quite worked this out fully, but my concept for these going forward, is I won’t be re-reading the book unless it’s so in the distance that I need to, sometimes it might just be a skim-read to reconnect. Other times I’ll be reading the book from scratch for the very first time. And then of course there are books of his I read — even years ago — and know very well. It’s gonna be, um, a Long Walk…a hard slog, a big stroll…Join me, very occasionally, for this Stephen King Bookclub.