Carrie
By Stephen King; Narrated by Sissy Spacek
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (now only available through Audible.com)
Publication Date: 24 August 2012
[Unabridged] – 7 hours; 20 minutes
Themes: / telekinesis / adolescent bullying / religious fervor / hog slaughter / revenge / horror /
Publisher summary:
An unpopular teenage girl, whose mother is a religious fanatic, is tormented and teased to the breaking point by her more popular schoolmates. She uses her hidden telekinetic powers to inflict a terrifying revenge.
I’ve wanted to read Carrie for a while now. It’s one of those iconic works that you’re compelled to read, more out of a sense of obligation to the author’s craft than a product of individual literary desire. I’m not one of those Stephen King aficionados that could play King Trivia and know every answer. I’ve read some of his books, and most of those have been fantastic. Some weren’t. Truthfully, I’d love to sit down and just talk shop with King. Just to be able to shoot the breeze about writing, the shape of a story, how to switch tense to make something pop, and a load of other stuff that most likely doesn’t blow the hair back for that many folks.
Stephen King has a knack for drawing a character that evokes empathy from the reader. I can’t say I enjoyed the question and answer portions, the jagged breakaways from the main narrative flow, or the investigation that lies at the far end of this story. But I love how King slows down a scene, making time stretch beyond normal, beyond the pocketful of seconds, far past the internal clockwork of mind can account for in a passing moment. I also really appreciated some of King’s choice of language. And I’m giving King bonus points for quoting Dylan lyrics, thanks Stevie!
I don’t believe it’s a secret that there’s blood in this story. There’s also murder and violence. What most surprised me was my reaction to the scene with the pigs. I won’t go into detail here, but this scene evoked the most emotional reaction for me, and I found this interesting. I had and felt compassion for Carrie, but the part with the pigs and potato chips stood out like broken glass under a bright moon.
Sissy Spacek as narrator does a solid job. Her delivery is dependable, and she does not try to act the story. She does not insert herself as a character in her reading. I was able to hear a slight amount of audible feedback in this audio rendition, and am disappointed that the sound engineers didn’t clean the tracks up before distribution. This audiobook is prefaced with a few words from Stephen King. He gives a little background to how Carrie was saved from the dustbin, and how its publication came just in time. I for one am a fan of Stephen King speaking about his history and life, and so I enjoyed this little introduction. I find King’s voice pleasant and easy to listen to.
Posted by Casey Hampton.