First of all, I want to point out that this book was published in 1989, and the terminology used to discuss mental illness is therefore dated. However, even with the almost 30 year gap between then and now, with the support of doctors in this field, King really does a splendid job of describing severe psychosis.
This book follows the bestselling author Paul Sheldon as he attempts to drive out of Colorado during a major snowstorm while drinking. Not a good combination! Perhaps this can serve as a warning for drinking and driving! He wrecks his Camaro and is found by the very strong and solid Annie Wilkes. And Annie Wilkes is his number one fan.
Paul Sheldon is most famous for his romance novels about the beautiful and bubble headed Misery. However, he thought he was finished with this character he has come to loathe by killing her in the final book that had just been published. Let’s just say that Annie, his number one fan and a verified psychopath, has other plans.
The scariest part of this story was how I would think I knew how insane Annie was but then she would get crazier and surprise me. This book is definitely not the way anyone should view mental illness, however I cannot disregard how realistic Annie’s insanity was for a worst case scenario. King makes an interesting point that really sent shivers down my spine. He pointed out that a person with depression will kill themselves, however, a person like Annie will not only kill themselves but take others with them. It was that thought that really scared me.
As the book continues, Annie Wilkes becomes increasingly unstable and Paul begins feeling more and more like an exotic animal that is now caged. A caged animal that will never see their beautiful homeland again.
As usual, Kings ending to this intense thriller packs a punch. I really did not know how things were going to turn out. This is a fairly quick read for a Stephen King novel, so its perfect if your looking for something for Halloween week. I highly recommend this book, not just for Halloween scares, but its just a great story that I really enjoyed (Although, yes, I was totally freaked out the whole time, lol).
Thanks for reading my review and HAPPY READING!!!
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