Misery by Stephen King

How do you review a classic such as this?

Brutal, shocking, impossible to put down.

I mentioned to my cousin that I hadn’t read many Stephen King books and the next time I saw her she had an ancient copy of Misery clutched in her hand for me.

Needless to say, I read it that night!

I was vaguely aware of the premise of the story, but had no idea how it ended. Equally, I wasn’t really prepared for the depth of depravity that was the mind of Annie Wilkes – wow – she was something else!

There were so many layers to Annie, at first she seemed keen, infatuated, almost coy, then it became clear she was controlling, but that soon gave way to mean, then insane, then pure evil. At first it felt almost as though her obsession with Paul had driven her to act out of character but as the story unravelled, and Annie’s past was revealed, the true situation became more and more horrifying with every passing day.

Poor Paul Sheldon, that guy went through so much, day in day out, just when it didn’t seem like it could possibly get worse – it did. And then again.

Did I skim the hard to read bits of the Misery sub-story? Maybe. Did I find some of the ad-hoc oddities towards the end a bit unnecessary? Perhaps. Did I think Misery was an absolute masterclass in a tight, two-person thriller? Most definitely.

Do I now want to read IT and Pet Cemetery? Hell no.

Blurb: Paul Sheldon. He’s a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader – she is Paul’s nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house.