Carrie

Title : Carrie
Author: Stephen King

Like I said, I'm not a fan of Stephen King, but still, I have a lot of his books at home so I thought of reviewing this book in our seemingly quiet page now.

Carrie is one of King's most popular books. If I'm not mistaken, it has been adapted into a film a few years back, but I've never seen it though. What made me interested in this book is because, most of King's books are compared to Carrie, putting this book on a high pedestal so naturally, the book enthusiast in me set off to find it.

Suprisingly, its not a very thick book, just around 250 pages. You could finish the book in one sitting. I initially thought the book would be full of horror and thrills but seems like I'm mistaken. This is really one of King's more relaxing books which deals more with psychology.. well, with a bit of horror thrown in jugak la!

It revolves around Carrie White, a girl with extraordinary telekinetic powers. You might imagine a haughty high and mighty girl, but Carrie is more like a timid mouse. She was born in a family so obsessed with religion that her father believed sex was a total dirty sin, even among husbands and wives. After he married Carrie's mother, they slept together for the first time and then beat themselves up to repent on their so-called sin. The result was Carrie so her mother believed she was the spawn of the devil since she was born from a dirty sin, thus, her mother hated her from birth.

She was always punished for the smallest mistake with her mother's favourite punishment:locking her in the cupboard without food and water for days. She never knew the love of a mother and father (her father died or something, I think..) and this might have contributed to her low self esteem. She always wore ugly clothes which her mother thought was best for her, making her the butt of jokes at school.

One day, while watching the daughter of her neighbour sun bathing (she was suprised to see someone expose so much skin when her mother said only the devil did that), her mother suddenly carried her inside while hurtling insults to their neighbour. Somehow, that was the turning point. Not being able to be like other people was one thing, but humiliating Carrie when she just wanted friends was another. Her anger somehow triggered the telekinetic powers she had but this just made her mother believe that Carrie was in fact, from the devil's spawn.

One day, when she was sixteen, she got her first period. Since her mother never told her anything, she thought she was dying and she was taunted by the girls. This really made a scene. However, one of the girls, Sue Snell, who really felt guilty about the whole tampon-throwing thing proceeded to apologize and tried to be Carrie's friend. Somehow, she got the idea to have her boyfirend, Tommy Ross, ask Carrie to the senior prom <--apa la punya idea! Still, she did it with good intentions!

However, another girl, Chris kot nama dia, decided to crash the prom (she wasn't allowed to go to the prom coz she didn't admit to taunting Carrie). Carrie, who at first was skeptical, was really enjoying the prom at this moment (after fighting with her mom about the 'sinful prom event' and making her own dress) was the target. However, in a turn ogf events, the prank somehow backfired and killed Tommy while Carried was drenched in pigs blood.

O-oh.. it seems like I'm wrinting my own long version of Carrie here, and it doesn't sound as interesting haha..

So to cut the story short, Carrie was so confused and frustrated that for a while, she believed her mother so she decided in commiting suicide, BUT she wanted to bring along the whole town with her. With her super telekinetic powers, she managed to destroy half the town, killing more than half of the other innocent seniors.

The chalpters in this books are alternated between the past and the present. The past of when this incident happened, and the present where experts are still trying to understand the telekinetic powers, by interviewing the surviving teachers and students.

Hahah.. I dunno why my review is in such a mess. I didn't have high views of this book really but what I've written is worse.

Really, just borrow my copy. Its simply entertaining though no thrilling moments here but, I'd read it again!