This is my second time reading Christine, the first time being some time in the 80's when I was a teenager. This time around I'm reading it as the parThis is my second time reading Christine, the first time being some time in the 80's when I was a teenager. This time around I'm reading it as the parent of teenagers. Time flies!
I think I liked it better now than I did originally. I find my appreciation for King has grown over time. He has a great knack for capturing voice and setting images perfectly in the mind of the reader. This is true even for those of us who aren't particularly visual when they read.
Christine is another example of the slow, layered, storybuild that King is so good at, carefully placing each part until the moment arrives for action; the coalescing of all those carefully placed parts. The denouement, even when expected, still surprises and satisfies, but also leaves the slight chill of things possibly not yet finished.
A secret needs two faces to bounce between; a secret needs to see itself in another pair of eyes....more
My second time reading this; the first would have been as a teenager, although I can't recall exactly when. I liked it better this time around. I thinMy second time reading this; the first would have been as a teenager, although I can't recall exactly when. I liked it better this time around. I think as the years have gone by I have a generally better appreciation for various things King does in his books.
As a teen I was really just looking for a thrilling and scary story. As an adult, and someone who has read many of King's books and stories over the years, I now see connections and his attempts to let characters grow in a way I did not fully appreciate before.
In 'Salem's Lot, the main character returns to the place of his childhood, which holds not only good memories, but also the most terrifying traumatic experience of his life. There is an idea in his head that he can revisit the place of his trauma, and in facing it, somehow banish it forever. Unfortunately things don't quite work out that way.
What unfolds is a vampire story as good as any. Vampire tales ebb and flow in popularity, but they never quite leave the cultural psyche. King reminds us of the horror in vampires, the violence and death, as opposed to the smooth sensuality that we so often see. The story delivers despair with only small amounts of hopefulness, hinged entirely on the strength of will of a few characters.
Overall, 'Salem's Lot remains an oldie but a goody, with much to recommend a visit, or a revisit if you haven't been for a few years or decades....more
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