by Jay Wilburn
The plan is to reread all of Stephen King’s novels and collections and assorted other publications in their order of publication. Richard Chizmar of Cemetery Dance set out the challenge for himself and invited others to join in. It is an idea which indulges my obsession with King’s writing. I’m doing it because I am a writer and I want to improve my long fiction and storytelling. I think there are secrets to be discovered or rediscovered in it, too. As Chizmar posts his after read posts and Bev Vincent posts his accompanying history, I will add links to those in my corresponding posts.
Here is Bev Vincent’s historic essay.
Here are Richard Chizmar’s thoughts.
You can also go back to the beginning and read Before Carrie or any of my other posts up through this one and beyond by checking out this link to the Master List of all my #StephenKingRevisited posts.
Much of what I write in these posts will really be notes for me. I will do my best to make them into coherent observations for you. I will also style my comments to be as spoiler free as possible for those who haven’t read the book, but in a way which will also work for those who have read the books. Be warned though that I am discussing the content of the book and the writing.
Okay, let’s cruise …
There’s something about the first person narrative in this book. There’s something different about the dialogue. I can’t put my finger on it. It feels subtly deep and philosophical, but still captures the vulnerability of youth – the confusion of it. The flaws. There is something more going on there though. If an author could write this “feel” into all his or her stories, he or she would be great.
The switch to third person in the middle seemed like an odd choice. Both sections work alone. They worked for me together, but it was a ballsy thing to do. I’ve read and understand the reasons. Bev Vincent himself popped unto a discussion of this on one of my Facebook threads to point out that King indeed agonized over the decision to switch from first to third and back to first again. I had a friend, and great author, on that same thread, who was surprised I thought the novel was great because he came away not liking it. Like I said, there is something about this storytelling I found amazing.
There are a ton of song lyric permissions in this book for all the chapter headers. The book is dedicated to George Romero, Chris Romero, and “The Burg.” The chapters are titled in this book and it has a prologue.
“Every school has at least two losers. One male and one female. Everyone’s dumping ground.” This sentiment, whether technically true or not, is biting. I taught school for sixteen years, and it is amazing the levels of cruelty that just go unchecked between students.
There are great bits in this story that build the weight and depth of the friendship. One is “you can spot lonely people because they can always think of something to do on rainy days.” It shows one character’s weakness and what draws them together as friends when they are young. “Friendship means a minimum of bullshit” is another one of those great bits. “God, let me keep him from getting killed this one last time.” This is a great, touching line tied into the theme of the friendship. Great writing by King. Maybe some of his best.
The narrator identifies the first moment of possible escape when he wanted to punch out his friend and drag him away because of something behind the gleam in the old man’s eyes.
The main character’s parents were described as “university folks” with colorful detail.
“Adults are overgrown kids until their children drag them into adulthood, usually kicking and screaming.” That’s a great line. “When you have a kid, you see your own gravestone.” Another great line. The senior year measured out in blocks of rock over the radio. It makes an escalating dreamlike scene of terror. “Being a kid is learning how to live while being an adult is learning how to die.” The theme of being aged is played well through this book. “At 17, I did not believe the past reached out with dead hands for the living. But I’m a little older now.”
“Mothers give practical advice. From fathers, we learn the magic words, cursing the car that won’t start” and always in female terms.
He used “obdurant” in this story. It is a staple in 11/22/63. Now it jumps out at me in his books.
An impulse decision keeps the story going. Another chance at escape is passed over.
Love is the enemy, we are told. It is old slaughter. Love is a cannibal, and it is hungry. King made this flip on the idea of love a powerful twist in the story. Christine attracts good mechanics and angry, lost boys.
“Shirttail southern” was a new expression for me. It seems to mean in this case, and as used in other places, a person who is distantly connected. Like a shirttail cousin is distantly related. A shirttail boy is a young boy who is just barely old enough not to be called a toddler. So, barely southern.
King ran a very long conversation about the history of the car and the previous owner. I was still interested, and all the information played a part in the rest of the story.
He brings up the concept of “steam engine times.” The idea that multiple people were working on the idea at the same time. It was just the time for steam engines and the people were pulled along with it. The same could be said about ironclads, machine guns, electricity, wireless, and “atomic bomb times.”
“Lingering emotional residue” is used as the explanation for a haunting like in The Shining. This is a haunted house story set in a car. King called it a haunted house on Goodyear tires. Haunted by a nasty and bitter old man ghost. Later, Christine is presented as King’s view of the vampire trope, feeding on its victim. The original owner of Christine was called a changeling by his sister in life. King is dragging in all his tropes for this one.
Broken and injured backs play a big role in this story – both supernatural and otherwise. Something about these descriptions rings a bell for me with all the aches and pains from the digging in Pet Sematary even though it has been years since I read that novel. But will be revisiting that one soon.
Death scenes and dream scenes in this story are done very well.
The scene with the hitchhiker builds tension in a very clever way even as it advances the plot in a way I didn’t see coming but should have.
He referenced a gorgon again. This references like here and in “The Body” jump out at me now because of Stranger Things.
Arnie’s back and forth, the struggle within his decline, is brilliant. It makes me still want to root for him. It keeps him worthy of saving throughout the story.
Christmas in this story was interesting as I was reading up to Christmas in real life. One day off in Christmas’s day of the week in the late 70’s vs 2018. Maybe I should I have read the book one year different.
Guy Lombardo is dead, but Dick Clark is still hanging in there, rocking in the New Year.
Donny and Marie Osmond’s big white teeth are compared to shark’s grins.
The reason there is no evidence of psychic phenomenon is because the evidence gets restructured in our minds. This same idea was utilized to partially explain the escalating bad choices with the supernatural in Pet Sematary, too, as I recall. I’m thinking about that book a lot because it is coming up soon, and I’ve had trouble remembering it clearly. King goes on to say in Christine that to believe in one is to believe in all. Once you admit the evidence of the supernatural, you’ve conceded the concept as a whole. Before that, you are missing the elephant while looking for the needle.
The play to anger the spirit and convince it to meet at the showdown was a little thin. It works well enough, I suppose, in the end. The final battle plays out in a way I liked. “Be my knight.” The moment before everything went wrong, and no escape was allowed anymore. “The shelves hit the concrete with flat clapping sounds that echoed like demon applause.” There was lots of great description like this throughout the book, but it added a lot to the closing action in particular.
The name Rick Mercer, the police inspector, jumped out at me for some reason. I looked him up to see if he appeared in any other King works, but turned out none that I could tell. I guess it’s just a name I feel like I should know.
The door is left open at the end. A loose end I had been allowed to forget comes back through that open door. “His single-minded purpose. His unending fury.”
My next post will be Before Cycle of the Werewolf which will be linked on Master List of all my Stephen King Revisited posts.
— Jay Wilburn, author and constant reader
Jay's Patreon Page | Purchase Signed Books
One comment