I read my first Stephen King book recently and I have to say, I was not too impressed. Was the story interesting? Yes. But there was still something about it I didn’t like. Perhaps I chose the wrong story. It definitely isn’t one of his most popular, but is apparently one that he has said to be his favorite that he’s written.
It’s called Lisey’s Story. It was strange and very original and unique, which I love, but it still missed something. The story is about Lisey whose husband, a famous author, has just died. It’s a psychological horror story that takes us from the present to the past throughout the entire book, showing us details of Lisey and her husband. Her husband’s past story is spooky and deals with some mental issues in his own family that causes him to live a life filled with fear and constant paranoia. He is even able to transport himself to another world that he names, Boo’ya Moon. This ability to transport himself to this different world is passed down to Lisey, and she ends up using it to save her life in the future. I know that sounds confusing and a bit disjointed, but I don’t want to give too much away in case you choose to read it and judge for yourself.
I think I may just be disinterested in the way that Mr. King writes. His writing annoyed me because it was hard to get into. Maybe he wrote that way to go along with the strange story. It was definitely hard to follow at times and felt rather disconnected, but it could just be the pure genius of Mr. King shining through in his choice to write this way.
I would give the book a 6 out of 10. It had a very original plot with very detailed characters that are given enough attention to make you care for them. The only thing I could not handle was the writing. Sometimes, it seems authors feel the need to over do the prose when a simple way of describing something would be a lot better and enable readers to stick with the story. I found myself rather bored the first few chapters because I had no idea where the story was going. I guess if you stay with it, it does get pretty decent by the end. It’s not my favorite book in the world, and I probably will never reread it.
I’m still willing to read another Stephen King book though. Any suggestions from King fans about the next one I should read are welcome.
Cozy Corner 